Crimes of Passion
by Persiana13
Summary: Third Story in the Persiana-verse series. Takes place in the DC Persiana-verse. The Justice League encounters more villains reborn from the Avengers' world, created by their former friend. Also, the return of an old enemy.
1. Chapter 1

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah Willows/Persiana, Lance Marlo/Diablos, Dr. Eve Willows, and Leon/Crisis._

Chapter 1: A New Tale

A young white-furred woman was languidly stretched out on the bed of the Justice League Watchtower. Her name is Farrah Willows, the heroine known as Persiana. It had been about three weeks since the kidnapping and almost marriage of Wonder Man, but that was not what she was thinking about. She was thinking about the events that brought her here, like it happened yesterday.

Her mother had originally experimented on her, resulting in the radical changes in her body. Driven almost insane, Farrah eventually won control over herself with the help of her friend Leon, as well as Tigra and Captain America. She felt the three were like her new family, and eventually fell in love with Leon. The two were almost made for each other, but the boy known as Crisis was constantly plagued by delusions and hallucinations. Despite that, Farrah stuck by him, and the two became involved romantically.

Then, Civil War broke out. She never figured out why Leon sided with Tony, and she pleaded with him to reconsider. Crisis refused to budge, but that did not stop him from taking the full blast from a cybernetic Thor clone for the woman he loved.

As Persiana tried to recover from those traumatic events, she discovered, while in the underground, her best friend Tigra, real name Greer Nelson, was secretly a mole. Horrified at that prospect, she disappeared, then reappeared after Captain America's death. Having made a decision, she jumped off the bridge, wanting to end her own life.

Her life changed when she dropped in the lap of the Justice League. Appearing in such a wretched condition, the League took her in, and she explained to them the horrors she had endured. While some were hesitant, they all agreed that this woman should be given a second chance, and she vowed she would not squander it. She, along with Batman, has re-established her identity in this new world. The lioness hoped to keep everything from her old world intact in this one. She made friends with Supergirl and Wonder Girl, even finding a new boyfriend who looked very much like Leon, and getting a job at a prestigious company. The boyfriend's name is Lance Marlo, the hero known as Diablos.

However, when the Avengers came, it all came back to her. Still feeling the effects of being a fugitive, Farrah vowed she would kill herself than go back there. Then, the insanity with Brainiac trying to achieve perfect knowledge happened, and the League and Avengers were forced to team up, little realizing the real threat. When Brainiac unwittingly unleashed Darkseid from his prison, the Justice League finally got to see Crisis emerge. With Ares' sacrifice, the League and Avengers were able to re-imprison the mad despot.

However, things were far from over. Having learned of new information, Diablos revealed that the Iron Man present and Farrah's description were different. The man that was donning the Iron Man armor was Hank Pym, Tigra's former boyfriend. It was then realized that Hank Pym's Thor creation had not killed Leon, it was he who in fact delivered the lethal blow. Not only that, but he was ordered by Tony Stark himself to bring Farrah back alive, but the insect scientist was hell-bent on destroying her. Horrified, Persiana wanted to kill him right there and then, but stopped, remembering her lost love. Batman had put Dr. Pym in Arkham, but Lex Luthor managed to release him and introduce him to Gorilla Grodd and Circe, as well as bringing the woman that created Persiana; Dr. Eve Willows.

After that, the remaining Avengers realized that they could never go back. Instead, the four remaining Avengers agreed to join the ranks of the Justice League.

Even after their joining, the white-haired heroine was still very nervous around them. Although she did not show it, she had still been trying to cope with the news. Often, she would retreat to her room, and sob her eyes out. The recurring nightmares have not helped her forget, but Lance has always been there for her, even holding her when she sobbed. The red-eyed hero did not mind staying with her, and he slowly caressed her hair, calming her down. He really wanted to take care of her.

Farrah sighed and, standing on all fours, gazed at the stars. Her costume was on the floor, and she was naked. It helped her relax when she could act like a cat. She closed her eyes and paced around the bed on all fours, sniffing it. Having been satisfied and making it comfortable, she stretched again, and curled up into a ball, placing her head on top of her knees. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

**Meanwhile…**

A woman in orange fur and black stripes, wearing a leather bikini, was in the cafeteria, sighing. She was Greer Nelson, the heroine known as Tigra. She was busy stirring some milk with her finger, but she was heavily preoccupied with her friend Farrah. She thought to herself,

_She's so sad. I wish there was something I could do._

A man in a blue insect costume and yellow goggles asked,

"Excuse me?"  
Tigra turned and noticed the hero Blue Beetle standing near her. She said,

"Yes?"

"Is this seat taken?"

"Go ahead."

Ted Kord sat next to her and asked,

"Is everything all right?"

Greer shook her head,

"Not really. I mean, after what happened with everything, Farrah and I are still working things out. I think she still hates me."  
Ted shook his head,

"I don't think so. From what I heard and what she said, she thinks very highly of you."

Tigra looked at him, surprised,

"Seriously?"

Beetle nodded,

"Yep, and I can see why. You obviously are a strong, capable woman who helped someone get through some serious changes in her life. She still looks up to you for helping her through."

Tigra smiled,

"You know, you're right. I didn't know you had such a big heart to go with that sexy, big brain of yours."

She purred,

"Not to mention your cute butt."  
Ted blushed; even his costume changed purple. Tigra leaned closer and planted a small kiss on his lips, whisking her tail with delight.

"NO FREAKIN' WAY!"  
The two turned suddenly and noticed two people standing in the door way. One wore a red full body suit with a yellow lightning bolt on his chest. The second was a red-headed Green Lantern wearing a flashy GL costume. These were the heroes Flash and Guy Gardner.

Guy shook his head in disbelief,

"How does that nerd do it?"  
Flash instantly sped up to the genius inventor,

"So, is she good?"

Tigra snarled and lunged for the Fastest Man Alive,

"DIE!"

In barely a blink of an eye, Flash evaded, and the Scarlet Speedster ran out of the room, shouting,

"Tigra kissed Blue Beetle!"  
The were-tigress snarled,

"I am going to kill him for this."

Blue Beetle helped her up,

"Sorry about that. It's not usually this bad."  
Tigra shrugged,

"Hey, it's all right. Farrah says you're a nice guy…"

She leaned closer,

"And, between you and me, she does have a better eye for men that I do."  
She kissed him again on the cheek and walked away, swaying seductively as she walked by Guy,

"Bye, boys."

Guy turned to his fellow Super-buddy,

"How do you do it, nerd?"

Next Chapter:

A vigilante appears in Gotham and he's not looking for revenge; he's looking for…punishment. Stay tuned for more!


	2. Chapter 2

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 2: Not Revenge; Punishment!

A man in a green derby hat, a green and purple suit, and, wearing a green tie with a purple question mark, was ordering several men in black,

"Come now, gentlemen. Time is of the essence."

He was the Riddler, formerly Edward Nigma. Several men were robbing the bank, while he was concocting up some riddle to confuse his nemesis Batman. As he was thinking of some new clues, he heard the sounds of his men coming toward him. He smiled,

"Ah, green; the universal color of money."

Suddenly, all the men that had robbed the bank were shot down. Riddler was surprised and looked up to see a man walking toward him. The man was dressed in all black and had a white skull on his chest. In his hands was an intimidating assault weapon.

The puzzle-using villain gasped,

"Who are you? Batman doesn't kill people!"  
The man with the skull glared,

"I'm not the Bat. I'm here to stop you."

One of the surviving goons pleaded,

"Take the money! Just let me live!"  
The man in the skull shook his head,

"Not gonna happen."

He fired, obliterating the goon's face off his body. Riddler swallowed nervously,

"What do you want?"

"Want? I want punishment!"  
The sound of the last blast echoed for miles.

**One hour later… **

A graying man with a gray mustache was looking at the body of the Riddler. It had been riddled with bullets. No one could tell this used to be the face of one of Batman's rogues.

A heavy man in a suit came up to him,

"There are more bodies like this, Commish. What happened here?"

The Commish was Commissioner James Gordon, head of Gotham Police. He was a long time friend of Batman, and had seen his share of grizzly crimes. This, however, took the cake,

"I don't know, Harvey. It's not like Batman to kill people."

"I'm glad you see it that way, Jim."

The two turned and saw Batman exit the shadows, along with his protégé Robin. Instantly, the Boy Wonder covered his mouth,

"I think I'm gonna be sick."  
Batman surveyed the bodies, trying not to show any emotion as he did, but, deep down, he was horrified. It brought him back to his parents' murders, and how horrible it must have been for him to experience it.

Quickly surveying the bodies, and noticed something. Feeling the pulse, he said,

"This one's still alive."

Commissioner Gordon ordered,

"Get him to a hospital now!"

**Aboard the Watchtower…**

Persiana was in the League's training room. She had configured it to create a balance beam and was busy tumbling across it. It had been a while, but the were-lioness was easily able to execute all her old stunts, and throw in some new ones as well. Being a were-feline had meant she had almost perfect balance, so she did not worry about falling.

Raising her arms as high as she could, she easily flipped to the other end of the beam, somersaulting and twisting in the air with almost other-worldly and playful grace. She then dismounted, smiling to herself.

Her ears twitched as she heard someone behind her. Turning, she noticed a raven haired woman in red with silver stars and a lasso on her. She was Donna Troy, the heroine known as Wonder Girl, and also Farrah's best friend. Donna applauded,

"Amazing. I do not believe there are many on Themysciria that can do what you can do."

Farrah shrugged,

"It's not anything special. I was just remembering my old self."

She sighed,

"It just seemed too easy."

Donna smiled,

"Well, you have been trained well."

Farrah sipped some water,

"It's not what I meant, although that plays into it. I mean, being a cat makes moving easier. I mean, I did this same routine when I was twelve, and I always seemed to nail everything right. Now, it's more apparent, but then, I thought I was just good."

Wonder Girl nodded,

"I believe I know what you are saying."

Just then, the were-lioness got a call. She answered,

"Hello?"

Batman answered,

"It's me. Meet me in Gotham. You might want to hear this."

Farrah nodded,

"Something wrong?"

"Just get down here."

Farrah turned off her communicator and shuddered,

"I wonder what Bats wants."

She looked at Donna,

"What does your sister see in him?"

Donna shook her head,

"I do not know. I will have to ask her. Anyway, I like my Roy just the way he is."

A shrill scream came from outside the training room. The two heroines looked out and saw a red-headed young man in a black eye mask and a blonde man in a green archer costume running for their lives. The heroes were Oliver Queen and Roy Harper, the heroes Green Arrow and Speedy, respectively. The two were being chased by a very angry blonde woman with a black eye mask and in a one piece. She was the heroine known as Miss Marvel. She shouted,

"Give me back that camera! I'm gonna rip you to shreds for this!"

Speedy hid behind Donna,

"She's nuts! Help me!"  
The emerald archer still kept running with Miss Marvel hot on his heels. He shouted back,

"Oh, yeah. Great goin', Roy!"  
Farrah asked,

"Is there something you want to tell us?"

Roy shook his head quickly,

"Nope. Nothing. Nada."  
Donna placed her hands on her hips, starting to admonish him,

"Roy."  
Persiana shook her head,

"I don't have time for this. I have to see Batman."  
With that, she left.

**In Gotham… **

The robber the Dynamic Duo had found alive was in a hospital bed. Robin shuddered,

"So, any idea on who did this?"  
Batman looked at his sidekick,

"Still working on it."  
Just then, Persiana tapped on the window,

"Well, are ya gonna let me in out of the cold or what?"

Tim Drake opened it and the were-lioness somersaulted in the room, landing on all fours. She stood up and rubbed her hands,

"Cold night."

Batman remained stoic,

"About an hour ago, someone shot up the Riddler's gang. One person survived."

Farrah stretched her arms high,

"As much as I like getting the bad guys off the street, why call me?"

Batman pulled the curtain back and the unconscious criminal lay there. He was soundly sleeping. The Dark Knight said,

"I was waiting for you. I think he should tell us what he saw."  
Farrah grinned,

"Let's get to work."

Disabling the nurse call button, Farrah casually started breathing warmly into the criminal's ear. The criminal smiled and looked up. Immediately, his face dropped and his eyes shot open in shock,

"Please, don't kill me."  
Persiana playfully remarked,

"Now, where would you ever get such an idea like that, handsome?"

She gently traced her claws over his bald head. The heart rate monitors were starting to beep faster. The were-lioness giggled,

"Now, here's how this works; you can tell me who shot you, or the big, scary Bat over their gets to play hospital surgeon with your digestive system. Now, what do you prefer?"

She leaned closer, growling,

"And don't think about screaming. My claws are directly near your jugular vein. One decibel higher than a stage whisper, and I slice it. Got it?"

The criminal nodded fearfully and said,

"P-P-P-Punisher."  
Instantly, Farrah was stunned. She removed her claws and asked,

"You're certain it was the Punisher?"

Batman asked,

"Do you know that name?"  
Farrah nodded,

"Yeah, but, it can't be possible. He-."

She looked at the criminal. With one chop, she knocked him unconscious. She continued,

"Sorry. Punisher is a hero in my world, but he kills criminals."

Robin swallowed nervously,

"Some hero."

Farrah nodded,

"Tell me about it. When I was in Cap's resistance, some criminals wanted to join up. Punisher shot them in front of all of us. And if half the stories I heard about him are true, then you're dealing with someone that is totally unwilling to reason."

Robin thought for a moment,

"If he kills criminals, then he should not be that difficult to spot. Right?"

Batman looked at Persiana, to which she continued,

"When I mean criminal, I mean everyone, from mobsters, all the way to jaywalkers. He's not afraid to enforce the law, in his own little sick world."  
Batman asked,

"Why does he do it?"

Farrah explained,

"The Punisher's family was the target of a mob hit. Turns out, the mob hit the wrong target. He's been after them since then. His real name is Frank Castle. He was in the Marines, Black Ops. This guy is dangerous, Batman. I mean it; do not underestimate him at all."

Suddenly, there were several explosions coming from the building several blocks away. Gunfire could be also heard. Tim Drake shook his head,

"Well, looks like the Punisher's at it again."  
Farrah opened the window,

"We have to stop him."

Next Chapter:

Batman, Robin, and Persiana vs. The Punisher.


	3. Chapter 3

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 3: Punishing the Wicked 

Several gunmen opened fire on the man with the skull. However, in the dark room, he had the advantage, and, soon, the gunmen had ended up shooting each other. Only one stood and he fearfully clutched his rifle. He shouted out,

"What do you want?"  
The man in the skull pointed a gun at the back of the gunman's head,

"What cops fail to do to trash like you."

Suddenly, a whistle was heard in the air and the gun fell out of his hand. The man with the skull turned and saw Persiana, Batman, and Robin standing ready. The were-lioness was stunned,

"Holy crap! There really is a Punisher here!"  
Punisher glared,

"You three stay out of this!"

Batman glared at him,

"This is my city, and you don't kill anyone in my city."

Robin smirked,

"Even if they are bad guys."  
The gunman tried to flee, but Punisher grabbed him and snapped his neck, right in front of the three stunned heroes. Batman then moved in to attack. Punisher pulled out a knife and tried to slice a piece of the Dark Knight, but Batman was too quick and landed a hard body blow. However, Punisher shrugged it off backhanded the World's Greatest Detective into a crate.

Robin and Persiana moved in next, trying to use acrobatics to confuse him. Punisher looked at them and shook his head,

"I don't fight kids."

Perisana delivered a low sweep, while Robin aimed for his head. Punisher fell on his head, dropping the knife. It slid out into the darkness. The Boy Wonder then took out his staff and pointed it at the Punisher's throat,

"OK, big guy. Let's wait 'til the cops get here to-."  
Punisher, unwilling to do so, grabbed the pole and hit Tim Drake over the head. He then tried to hit Persiana, but she was too quick. She backed away, playfully remarking,

"I love a guy who knows how to work a pole."  
She dodged again, tumbling with astounding grace out of his range. Punisher glared murderously at his opponent,

"Stand still so I can hit you!"  
Persiana giggled,

"And where would the fun be in trying to hit me?"

Batman, having recovered at this time, pulled out another Batarang and threw it. It wrapped around the Punisher's legs and dropped the vigilante to the floor. However, the crazed vigilante had pulled out a second knife and cut the rope. Batman tried to jump on him, but Punisher kicked him hard in the ribs, an audible break could be heard. The Dark Knight fell back onto the floor and stood up uneasily.

Persiana flipped near him,

"Are you all right?"

Batman nodded,

"It's nothing."

Robin kicked Punisher in the head, but the Boy Wonder was a bit slow and Punisher managed to grab him and throw him out the window with astonishing strength. A loud crash could be heard from down below in the alley.

Persiana looked at Batman,

"Go see him. I can take care of this guy."

The Dark Knight ignored her and charged right in. The were-lioness could sense determination and rage in Batman. She went to check up on Robin.

Batman clenched his fist and slammed it hard into the Punisher's face. Punisher stumbled back, which was the opening he wanted. Batman then peppered him with chops, kicks, and punches, each one more savage than the last. Punisher, however, would not be overwhelmed. Using his SEAL training, he was able to hold off some of the Bat's attacks, but not for very long. He knew Batman had the upper hand and he had to do something fast.

Batman swept underneath the Punisher's feet and dropped him on the floor. He towered over him,

"You are no hero."

Punisher shouted back,

"You idiot! The system doesn't work! This is the only way!"  
Batman looked down, stoic as always,

"The system works. Give it time."  
Punisher scoffed,

"If the system worked, half the people on the street would be dead! Children wouldn't be orphans, whole families wouldn't be wiped out! Face it, Bats. You are powerless, just like the cops!"  
Batman grabbed him by the collar and held him up with one hand, glaring menacingly at him,

"If I didn't believe in the system, you'd be dead right now."

He threw him down on the floor and began disarming him.

Outside, Persiana was checking on Robin. The Boy Wonder rubbed his head,

"I'm all right."

Farrah examined him,

"Maybe, but I want you to check out the head injury. You might have a concussion. Lord knows Batman has broken ribs."

Suddenly, the snow-haired were-feline shot her head up. She sniffed the air,

"Something's wrong."  
The next few moments, a shot rang out from inside the building. Robin and Persiana scaled the wall and went back inside.

Persiana used her night vision,

"Bats? Are you all right?"

She sniffed the air and was instantly disturbed,

"Blood. Fresh blood."  
Robin swallowed nervously as Persiana tracked the scent. As they navigated the darkness, they finally found the source. Persiana covered her mouth in horror, as did the Boy Wonder. Batman was on the floor, shot in the back. The Punisher was long gone.

Persiana swallowed nervously, but tried to keep her composure,

"He needs help."  
Robin nodded,

"We'll get him to the Batcave right away."

Persiana came near Batman,

"Can you hear me, Batman? We're going to get you out. Robin says to take you to the Batcave."

Batman, weakened, pointed to his utility belt. Persiana noticed the main buckle on the belt and pressed the center of it. It started flashing, and the were-cat could hear a faint roar of an engine.

Robin looked out the window,

"The Batmobile's coming."

Farrah hefted the Dark Knight with ease,

"Let's go."

Robin was surprised the were-lioness was so strong, but would ask later. Right know, there were more immediate concerns. The three heroes got into the Batmobile and it automatically drove to the Batcave.

**At the Batcave… **

An elderly man was busy dusting the many trophies in the Batcave. His name is Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's caretaker since his parents died. The butler looked on the computer and noticed the Batmobile coming in. He smiled,

"Ah, he's home early. It must have been an easy night then."

He went to meet the car.

When the roof slid open, his expression changed from happiness, to horror. He looked at Robin,

"What happened?"  
Farrah hoisted Batman out,

"He's been shot. Is there a place where he can lie down?"  
Alfred nodded,

"Yes, the infirmary."

He led her to it. Robin followed, but Persiana said,

"Robin, you call the League. Tell them what happened."  
Tim Drake was stunned,

"But-."

Alfred nodded,

"No buts, Master Tim. Please hurry."  
Robin did just that.

In the infirmary, Alfred had already prepared the surgical theater. Persiana also had some surgeon's clothes on and was busy trying to stabilize him. She looked at Alfred,

"I hate to ask this, but I need to remove his mask. There may be trauma there."  
Alfred nodded,

"Very well. I shall prepare the operation."

Persiana looked down at him,

"I only hope we got him here in time."

Next Chapter:

The hunt is on for the Punisher!


	4. Chapter 4

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 4: A Rude Awakening 

A raven-haired woman was staring out at the stars in the Watchtower, a golden lasso at her hips. Her name is Diana, the heroine known as Wonder Woman. She sighed heavily as she looked out at the heavens.

"Is there something bothering you, sister?"

Diana turned and noticed her sister Donna staring concernedly at her. Diana shook her head,

"No, I am fine."

Wonder Girl thought for a moment, then asked,

"Is this about your attraction to Batman?"

Instantly, the exiled princess spun around,

"How did you know?"  
Donna shrugged,

"Well, I think Persiana brought it up. She said that every time you see him, your heart rate goes up and your palms get sweaty."

Diana smirked,

"She is quite observant for someone so young."  
Donna smiled at that.

Just then, the Amazon princess' communicator sounded. Donna picked up,

"Hello?"

"This is Robin. Is Wonder Woman there?"

"Yes. Robin, is there something wrong?"

"Batman's been shot."  
Donna covered her mouth in horror,

"Hera, no!"  
Diana touched her sister's shoulder,

"What is wrong, sister?"

Wonder Girl looked at her,

"It's Batman. He has been shot."  
Wonder Woman was stunned. She turned away, trying to hold back tears. This could not be happening, not to him. Diana turned and said,

"This is Wonder Woman, Robin. Where is Batman now?"

Robin answered,

"In the Batcave. I think you should get down here."  
Diana nodded,

"We're on our way."  
**In the Batcave… **

Persiana and Alfred were dressed in surgical gowns, and were preparing to operate. Farrah was nervous,

"I hope we can save him."  
Alfred took out a scalpel,

"We shall, Miss Persiana. We shall."

Outside, Robin was pacing the floor. He was concerned for his mentor's well-being. He had already called his teammates back in Jump City and told them he would not be coming until this was resolved. He did not have to wait long for Diana and Donna to arrive. Together, the three stayed, and hoped. Hoped that Batman, Bruce Wayne, would still be alive.

The hours seemed to tick by slowly, and endlessly. Finally, after several grueling hours of surgery, Farrah came out. She had taken off her surgeon's mask and looked at the three anxious faces. She smiled,

"He's going to be all right."  
Diana breathed a sigh of relief,

"Thank Hera."  
Robin asked,

"When can we see him?"

Farrah shook her head,

"He's sleeping now, but somebody should stay near him."

Alfred also emerged,

"Ladies and gentleman, this way."  
He led the heroes into a separate room. There, they saw Batman, unmasked, bandages around his chest. He was sound asleep.

Diana pulled up a chair next to him, whispering,

"Bruce."  
Robin cracked his knuckles,

"I'm gonna find Punisher, and rip him apart!"  
Donna asked,

"The Punisher?"

Farrah nodded,

"The Punisher is a hero in my world, but he kills criminals. In fact, a lot of other local heroes have had run-ins with him."  
Her voice trembled,

"He was in the resistance with me and Cap. When some villains wanted to join up, he capped 'em, right in front of me."

Alfred covered his mouth,

"My goodness!"

Farrah nodded,

"Yeah, but I know he didn't do this. It's not his style. Someone else took that shot."  
Tim Drake nodded,

"All right, I believe you. So, what do we do in the meantime? We can't just let that guy be out there!"

"I think that's where we come in."  
Everyone turned and saw two figures. One was a slender man, wearing a black eye mask, and black tights with what appeared to be a blue bird with its wings fully extended.

The second was a woman with red hair and was wearing a costume similar to Batman's.

Robin introduced them,

"Everyone; this is Nightwing and Batgirl. They work with Batman sometimes."  
Nightwing looked in shock,

"I never thought I'd see this."  
Batgirl nodded,

"Yeah."

Wonder Woman shook her head,

"We're wasting time! We need to find him now!"  
She clenched her fist in anger and stormed out of the Batcave, flying through the air at top speed. The rubble dropped down, but the cave did not collapse, luckily. Persiana stripped down into her costume,

"We have to go after her. I'll fill you in on the way."

Robin asked,

"Do you think the Punisher will still be alive?"

Wonder Girl shook her head,

"Knowing my sister, I have my doubts."  
Persiana looked to Alfred,

"Can you look after him while we're gone?"  
The trustworthy butler nodded,

"Yes, of course."

The were-lioness looked at him,

"He doesn't leave that bed, not under any circumstances. Got it?"

Alfred nodded,

"I understand."  
The five heroes chased after Diana.

Next Chapter:

Running into the Punisher


	5. Chapter 5

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Eve Willows, Bast, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 5: Who Shot Batman? 

**Aboard the Watchtower… **

A red-eyed young man with black hair and a sword, dressed in a red trench coat and black shirt and pants, was looking out of the Watchtower window. His name is Lance, the hero known as Diablos. He was quietly thinking about himself and his relationship with new girlfriend Farrah. He thought about all the times he was with other women, and how most of those relationships ended. It usually involved the death of the woman he was intimate with, except for Bast. Bast was the first woman he ever truly fell in love with, and, every time he drifted away to another woman, fate would always bring them back together. He sighed, and thought,

_No, this time, it will be different. _

"Lonely?"

Lance, surprised, turned around and noticed one of his teammates, a striped were-tigress in a leather bikini. Her name is Greer Nelson, the heroine known as Tigra, and close friend to Persiana. Greer asked,

"Are you all right?"  
Lance nodded,

"Yeah, just thinking."  
The tigress perched on the railing, studying him quizzically,

"It's about Farrah, isn't it?"

The red-eyed hero nodded slightly,

"In a way. Greer, can I ask you something?"  
Tigra shrugged,

"Shoot."

"Do you believe people are brought together by fate?"  
Greer thought about it for a moment,

"Honestly, I've never believed in fate."

Lance looked at her,

"Really?"  
Tigra nodded,

"Yep, I figure that whatever life throws at me, I'll adapt to it in some way."

She turned away, slightly sullen,

"When Farrah disappeared, I had lost a part of myself. I taught her a lot about her powers and her abilities. I was also her confidant. She and I were so close, and now, I think that maybe we could be again. I just-."

Suddenly, there was a telepathic message from J'onn,

_Diablos, you and Tigra must report to Metropolis immediately. Yellow Jacket, Metallo and Parasite are attacking. _

The red-eyed hero and the striped heroine looked at each other. They both nodded and made their way to the transporter room.

**Meanwhile, in Gotham… **

The Punisher was walking up the stairs to a restaurant. Normally, it was closed, but there was a private meeting tonight. A lieutenant and several of his cronies were having dinner, discussing new criminal prospects. As Frank walked up, he noticed a woman with heavy make-up, and a revealing red dress already near the door. He grabbed her arm and covered her mouth, saying,

"Stay quiet."  
The woman did not scream, or even try to struggle; she was too scared to do anything. He told her,

"Leave; you don't want to be involved in this."

The woman ran down the stairs quickly, not caring how uncomfortable it was in her high heels. The Punisher reloaded his gun and opened the door.

Inside, the mob lieutenant was busy having dinner with his cohorts. He shook his head,

"So, where's the rest of the money? Patches was supposed to be here with the money."

Seated next to him were two pretty girls, followed by his bodyguards. One of the smaller fry tried to reassure his boss,

"Easy, man. He'll be here."

"No, he won't."  
Everyone turned and noticed the Punisher pointing a large shotgun at them. He said to the women,

"Get out of here."

The women, fearful for their lives, ran out, ducking from view. The lieutenant looked at the Punisher,

"Who the-?"

Before he could finish the sentence, his brain matter was splattered all over the wall. The six other goons all drew guns and were about to shoot the Punisher when a crash came from above them.

Wonder Woman launched her lasso and corralled up two of the gun men. As that was happening, the rest opened fire, but Wonder Girl covered her sister, deflecting each of the bullets with her bracelets.

Seconds later, a feral roar was heard. Two of the goons looked behind and saw Persiana crouched on all fours, glaring at them, licking her lips. She smirked,

"Oh, look. Dinner is served."  
Balancing on two hands, she kicked either goon away.

One goon tried to shoot the lioness, but was suddenly bound by an unknown assailant. Turns out, it was Nightwing. He used a grappling hook to incapacitate his target.

Batgirl did the same thing with her target, and the six were soundly beaten.

Punisher looked at them,

"Well, thanks for makin' my job easier."  
He reloaded his weapon and was about to execute the criminals when Wonder Woman grabbed him and angrily glared at him,

"You shot Batman."  
Punisher shook his head,

"Lady, I don't know what you're talking-."  
The Amazon warrior threw him through a table. Punisher shook his head and stood up,

"Look, lady. If I shot Batman, I'd make sure he'd be dead."

Diana wanted to sock him again, but Persiana intervened,

"He's right, Wonder Woman. Punisher doesn't mostly kill someone. He makes sure they're dead."

Wonder Woman looked at her friend. She could tell Farrah was being honest.

Punisher used this hesitation to try and get away, but Wonder Girl ensnared her lasso around him and Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin all tied him up. Farrah looked to her friend,

"Let's go back to him."  
**Meanwhile… **

A blonde woman with steel rim glasses and a lab coat was smirking as she walked into her apartment, courtesy of her new lover, Sebastian Balleros, the male Cheetah. She walked in and threw a heavy case down. She then stripped naked and laid out on the bed. She had an incredible build; her movements seemed graceful and dangerous at the same time. Her name is Eve Willows, Persiana's mother. The two had a long standing hatred for each other. Eve laid in bed, and waited.

She did not wait long as her benefactor and lover soon arrived through a window. The male Cheetah sniffed the air. The scent of his new lover was like perfume, sweetly tingling his heightened sense of smell. He growled,

"Darling Eve?"  
Eve smiled and purred,

"Of course. Who else?"

The male Cheetah used his sleek frame and wrapped himself tightly around Eve. Eve moaned with pleasure as Sebastian purred in her ear. She said,

"Batman was fun, but I need something a bit more…personal."  
Sebastian nodded,

"Is that why you asked Yellowjacket and Luthor to help?"

Eve grinned,

"Do not concern yourself. I will make my presence known to my Farrah when I need to. And I fully intend to destroy her and everything she has ever done. I will avenge the wrongs she has committed against me."  
She ran her hands through his fur,

"But first, I have something I need from you right now, beloved."  
She glared lustfully at him and pulled the blanket over them.

Next Chapter:

Metropolis Melee!


	6. Chapter 6

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 6: Metropolis Melee! 

A man with purple skin had just batted away an Asian looking woman with black hair. The man in purple was Parasite and he had the ability to drain powers and life essences of anyone he touched. The woman was Kimoyo Hoshi, the heroine known as Dr. Light. Her costume is similar to the villain that calls himself that, but she is far more intelligent and more heroic than her villainous counterpart.

Dr. Light stood up uneasy and swore in Japanese. Parasite tutted,

"Geez, you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Near him, a man that had half his face ripped off, revealing a sadistic robotic form; was combating the likes of two heroes; one, a man, wore a blue insect costume, while the other, a woman, was enveloped in green flames. The man with the robotic form was Metallo, and the two heroes fighting him were Blue Beetle and Fire.

Finally, a giant man in a yellow and black insect like costume, was towering over the city, but someone else was fighting him. Another giant; this one looked like he was Uncle Sam from an old war poster. Indeed it was Uncle Sam, the hero of America, who has existed since America's birth. His strength and abilities come from America existing, and from its people.

Blue Beetle pointed his BB gun, which is a strobe light with a trigger and grappling hook on it, at Metallo,

"Fire, when is that back up coming?"  
Fire launched a flame jet,

"Soon, Teddy. Of all the times for Tora and Guy to go on vacation…"

All the attacks failed to stop the android from advancing. Metallo charge in and was about to attack when a red blur came from out of nowhere, leveling Metallo in an instant. The android looked up and saw Diablos, his eyes glowing red, glaring at his opponent. He said,

"Are you two all right?"

Fire nodded,

"We are now, handsome."  
Parasite was about to finish of Dr. Light when a feral roar was heard. The power-sucking villain turned,

"What the-?"  
He turned, only to get an orange and black striped foot to the face. Tigra grinned as she saw Parasite hit the car,

"Ow, that's gotta hurt."

Dr. Light stumbled to her feet,

"Thank you, Tigra."  
The were-tigress perched on the car,

"No prob."  
She then looked up at her ex, grumbling,

"Henry, what are you up to?"

Parasite got back to his feet and grinned lecherously at the feline heroine,

"Hello, gorgeous!"  
He smirked,

"So, wanna rumble in the jungle, cutie?"  
Tigra rolled her eyes,

"Been there, done that. Not interested in a guy who is all purple and sucks the life out of people."  
Parasite pouted,

"Oh, you wound me so, sugar. Ladies love me; I can take their breath away…"  
He charged up several energy spheres in each hand, obviously the power taken from Dr. Light,

"…not to mention, their powers!"  
He fired, but the feline Avenger dodged and weaved with ease. She did two back flips, and growled,

"You really expect me to be hit by you? Take a look at me! I'm a cat!"  
Parasite charged up another attack again, this time blinding the were-tigress. She fell into the arms of Blue Beetle. The feline Avenger purred,

"My hero."

That attack gave Dr. Light a much needed power boost and the Asian scientist was able to absorb the light being used. In a moment, she used her powers and created several holograms of the feline heroine. Parasite was stunned,

"What?"  
Using this as her opportunity, Tigra pounced, along with the holograms. While the holograms were distracting the power-sucking villain, Tigra came in from behind and knocked him out. She then smiled,

"All in a days work. Man, you have some seriously lame villains here. Challenging, but still, lame."  
Diablos looked to Blue Beetle and Fire,

"You two should go help Uncle Sam. I can take care of this."  
Metallo shook his head,

"Why, ever the gentleman, Diablos? I'm touched."

The android launched eye beam attacks, but Diablos countered with his force field. He then approached the stunned Metallo. Metallo, desperate, picked up a car and slammed it right into the red-eyed hero. That did not halt his advance in the slightest. Diablos then lashed out with a telekinetic attack, launching the Kryptonite-powered villain into the sky. Finally, pulling out his sword, Diablos took to the sky and sliced him in to tiny pieces.

Yellow Jacket had just batted Uncle Sam away and had noticed his allies getting decimated. He also noticed his ex Tigra. Sighing heavily, he shrunk down to insect-like size and seemingly disappeared. Uncle Sam also shrunk down to normal size and looked at the other heroes,

"He's gone."  
Diablos shook his head,

"No, he's still here. I can sense him."  
Tigra nodded as well,

"And I can probably track him."

The search began.

Inside one of the buildings, Yellow Jacket was cruising at high speeds, trying to secure his objective. He knew those idiots Parasite and Metallo would never get the job done, so he had to go in on his own.

After a few minutes, he had reached it; it was a tech firm that had just invented a new type of micro-processor capable of duplicating brain patterns. He was about to pick up the chip when a voice said,

"Early Christmas shopping, Henry?"  
He turned and noticed the heroes from before. Tigra pleaded,

"Henry, why are you doing this? Stop this and we'll talk."

Yellow Jacket shouted,

"You want to talk? HERE!"  
He launched a laser attack from his gloves. Everyone scattered but Uncle Sam and Diablos, who resisted the attack. Blue Beetle pointed his BB gun at him and launched a blinding light. The light blinded the former Avenger. Ted smiled,

"Well, all in a days-."  
Suddenly, all the heroes, with the exception of Diablos, were screaming in agony. The red-eyed hero could sense a telepath in the area. A familiar telepath.

Dr. Light shouted,

"What's happening?"

Diablos said,

"It's a telepathic attack. Hold on."  
He used his powers and tried to counter the effects. However, that was an opening Yellow Jacket needed. He launched a laser attack and knocked Diablos unconscious. He then grabbed the chip and escaped.

**A few minutes later… **

A man in a red and blue costume with a big 'S' on his chest had found the disorientated heroes. His name is Clark Kent, the Kryptonian hero known as Superman.

Superman looked at his fellow teammates,

"Is everyone all right?"  
Diablos nodded,

"We're fine, Superman. Yellow Jacket made off with a device, and we were under attack by a telepath."

Tigra shook her head, sniffing for a scent,

"He's long gone; I can't find him."

Fire asked Diablos,

"How come you weren't affected by the telepath?"  
Diablos shrugged,

"Must have a higher resistance than you."

Uncle Sam looked at the red-eyed hero,

"Don't worry about it, son. You did good anyway."  
Superman shook his head,

"We still have to find out what Yellow Jacket stole and-."

Fire saw Tigra hugging Blue Beetle and erupted,

"HOW DARE YOU!"  
She charged at the feline. Greer shouted back,

"Hey, he saved my life! I'm just saying thank you!"

The Brazilian spy grabbed a large wad of Tigra's hair and yanked hard. Tigra hissed and tackled the model, a cat-fight erupting. Diablos and Blue Beetle shook their heads. Uncle Sam commented,

"Women did not act like this in my day."

Superman sighed,

"We should try to break them up."

Diablos rolled his eyes,

"Good luck with that. If those two act like Miss Marvel and Persiana, then we should just let them wear each other out in a few hours."

Blue Beetle thought for a moment,

"At least we should be grateful Guy is out of town."

A passer-by looked on,

"Check it out, everyone! That tiger chick and fire chick are fighting!"

In mere moments, several people had video cameras lined up, watching the engaged cat-fight. Diablos shook his head,

"I'll take care of this."  
He created a wall of darkness, ensuring that no one could watch the cat-fight or record it with the cameras. Superman breathed a sigh of relief amid the angry groans outside.  
Suddenly, his signaling device went off. It was J'onn J'onzz,

"Batman has been shot."  
The Last Son of Krypton was stunned to hear this. He looked at the rest of the heroes,

"We have to get back to the Watchtower. It's about Batman."

With that, they all teleported up.

**Meanwhile… **

Yellow Jacket was returning to the LexCorp building in Metropolis. There, a bald man in a business suit was sitting down, a big, black gorilla standing with its arms folded, walking like a man. The insect villain said,

"I got the part, Lex."  
Lex smiled,

"I take it Parasite and Metallo were captured."  
Gorilla Grodd, the big gorilla, had the same sinister smile,

"Of course, it was I who managed to incapacitate those heroes that tried to stop you."  
Hank Pym asked,

"What about that kid, Diablos?"  
Grodd shook his head,

"Somehow, he was invisible to me. I will have to find out how."

Lex nodded,

"See that you do. And make sure the good doctor's new invention is ready. I always did like to make a presentation."  
Grodd nodded, but secretly resented Luthor. He was accustomed to giving orders, not taking them. However, the simian telepath was patient. He would wait until the last moment, to strike!

Next Chapter:

A message from the past.


	7. Chapter 7

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Eve Willows, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 7: Healing Hurts 

Bruce Wayne was lying in his bed at Wayne Manor. Recovering from a near fatal gunshot wound, he awakened to see a smiling Persiana. She looked at him,

"So, this is the man behind the mask. I gotta admit; Diana does have good taste."

Bruce felt his face and realized his mask and cape were off. The were-lioness shook her head,

"Look, Bats. I know I might have overstepped my boundaries here, but you were shot and Alfred and I had to make sure you were all right. I had to make sure you didn't suffer any brain trauma before surgery and-."  
Bruce looked up at the feline heroine,

"It's all right."

He looked around,

"Where's Alfred?"

"Right here, sir."

Alfred walked in with a tray and said,

"How are you feeling, sir?"

The Dark Knight rubbed his shoulder,

"Better."  
He went to get out of bed, but Persiana stopped him,

"And where do you think you're going?"

Bruce looked up,

"Work."  
Farrah folded her arms,

"No, you're not."  
Alfred was surprised; no one had ever said no to Batman, unless they wanted to get hurt. That was left to the impending beat downs Batman gave to criminals.

Bruce looked up,

"What did you say?"

Persiana could see Bruce did not like being told what to do; and honestly, neither did she. However, she tried to sound as forceful as she could,

"Now, you listen to me, pretty boy. You've just been shot. Unlike me, you don't have accelerated healing. So, unless you want a chiropractor helping you straighten out your spine, you'll get back into bed and rest. Do I make myself clear?"  
Her fangs had reared at this point, indicating she was not going to let her patient, and her friend, do anything stupid.

Bruce stared coldly at her, and they stared each other down, trying to find out who was going to back down first.

At this point, Wonder Woman wandered in sleepily,

"What's going on?"  
She had been resting all night, waiting for Bruce to wake up. She noticed a heated stare down between Persiana and Batman. Alfred whispered to her,

"I have never seen anyone act like this around Master Bruce."  
Diana was surprised Persiana was putting herself in this situation; no one ever stood up to Batman. Maybe Superman, but that was philosophical differences.

The Dark Knight Detective growled,

"Get out of my way."  
Farrah got closer, purring,

"Make me."

Her claws were fully extended by this point, and her fangs had fully reared. Bruce tried to make his way past her, but she pushed him back down, aggravating the wound. Although he did not scream, Batman tried his best to hide his wince.

Persiana jumped on top of him and snarled,

"Look, I know you want to go after the Punisher, but I know he did not do this. I know, because Punisher does not mostly kill someone. He makes sure someone is dead. That's why I know he didn't do this to you."  
Batman looked deep into the feline's eyes. All his training and instincts told him she was telling the truth. He looked at her,

"Could you get off me now?"

Farrah looked up and a very cold stare from the Amazon in the room. Quickly, the agile acrobat flipped off, landing on the edge of the bed like a cat. She smiled sheepishly,

"Sorry, instincts took over."

Diana nodded in understanding, but said,

"If you touch him like that again, I will break you."  
Farrah smiled,

"I'll keep that in mind."  
She looked at the clock in the room,

"Aw, man. I'm exhausted. I'm heading back to the mansion. I'm sure by now word has gotten to the Tower. They're all probably worried about what's going on."

Wonder Woman thought for a moment,

"Could you tell them everything is all right?"  
Farrah grinned,

"Sure, just as long as the pretty boy over here doesn't get out of bed until he's been cleared."  
She added seductively,

"You may have to tie him down."  
The three of them shot her a surprised look. At this, the were-lioness teleported up to the tower. Alfred then said,

"I shall prepare breakfast for you, Master Bruce."  
With that, he left.

Diana sat on the edge of the bed,

"How are you feeling?"  
Batman growled,

"I am sick of everyone asking me that."

The Amazon chuckled at that; he was recovering nicely. She placed her hand on top of his and said,

"Bruce, I need to talk to you about something."  
Bruce knew what this was about and shook his head,

"Diana, I-."  
Wonder Woman came closer, placing a finger across his mouth,

"You need to hear this. Since I ventured into Man's world, I have never met a man like you. Such a strong iron will and determination; nothing like what I was told about the men in Man's world…"  
She wiped a tear away, continuing,

"When I heard you were shot, a part of me got scared. I was so scared for you, Bruce."

She looked at him,

"I love you."

Batman was quite surprised, more so when the warrior from Themyscyria kissed him on the lips full on, and he was actually returning the kiss back. Maybe being confined to bed was not such a bad thing after all…

**Up in the Watchtower… **

Farrah had teleported up and was greeted by an anxious Superman. He said,

"I heard Batman was shot. Is he all right?"

Farrah brushed it off,

"Yeah, Supes. He's fine. Diana's watching him now."

She raised her arms high, enjoying a cat-like stretch,

"I've had a long day and night. I'm gonna go shower and rest."  
The Man of Steel nodded and watched as the were-lioness left.

Flash zipped up next to him,

"So, Bats is all right, then."

Superman nodded,

"Yeah. We can tell the others."

**Meanwhile… **  
After a passionate time in the sack, the male Cheetah was sound asleep. Eve crept to a phone and called a number. She had been given this number by Luthor, and decided to call it.

A heavy, black woman on the other line answered it,

"Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Waller."  
Amanda Waller narrowed her eyes,

"You must be Dr. Willows."

Eve smirked,

"And you must be the fat pig that Luthor referred to me. How is your mole doing?"

Miss Waller did not like the tone of the scientist, and she did not have to answer,

"I have nothing to say to you."  
Eve tutted,

"My dearest Amanda; it would be wise to tell me what has happened so far. Otherwise, Batman won't be the only one with a bullet."  
Waller shook her head,

"Go to hell."  
She hung up and sighed.

Eve put the phone down and smiled. She had rattled the cage. Now, it was time for a new plan.

Next chapter:

Let's take a break and enjoy some laughs!


	8. Chapter 8

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 8: And Now for something Completely Random…

Relieved that Batman was going to be all right, an African-American man in a green jumpsuit was strolling with his girlfriend, a red-headed woman with avian wings and a mace. The man in the green jumpsuit is John Stewart, one of many Green Lanterns. The woman is Shayera Hol, the heroine Hawkgirl.

John smiled,

"I'm glad Batman is all right."  
Hawkgirl nodded,

"Yeah, too bad that Punisher guy is captured. I'd really like to fight him."

John shook his head,

"He used to be in the military. I hate to see what he saw there."  
The Avian founder of the League shook her head,

"From what Wonder Man and Miss Marvel told me, his lost his family. I can see why he is so determined to-."  
A loud roar interrupted her,

"SAY THAT AGAIN!"  
The two heroes ran in the direction.

When they got there, they noticed Supergirl, Zatanna, Gypsy, and Vixen all staring each other down. Zatanna shouted,

"SAY THAT AGAIN, SUPERGIRL!"  
Kara shouted,

"All I said was you would need a spell to have him! That's not how you get Simon!"

Vixen countered,

"Like you chasing him is really tactful! Face it, all I have to do is take on the power of a snake and he would have hours of fun with me!"  
Gypsy got in Zatanna's face,

"All I have to do is turn invisible, and see him in the shower! He so wants me!"

At this, the magical user slapped the invisible-powered member of the League,

"Trash!"  
Vixen assumed the power of a rhino and charged right at Supergirl, and the four women had begun a brawl. Shayera shook her head,

"Ever since Wonder Man came on board, those four have been fighting for his affections."

John smirked,

"It could be worse."

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"  
The two turned around and noticed a bald man in multiple colors being chased by a woman in a fox costume. The man was Rex Mason, the hero known as Metamorpho. He had the ability to assume the composition of any element found within the human body. The woman that was chasing him was Crimson Fox, a heroic identity taken by two French sisters, whom both loved Rex. They had agility and could release mind-altering pheromones.

The one to take the identity now was Constance, and she had little hearts dancing all around her,

"_Mon amour_, come be with me. I am quite the beast!"

Rex shouted,

"HELP! JOHN, DO SOMETHING!"  
Hawkgirl laughed,

"Sorry, he's spoken for. You're on your own."  
The shape-shifting hero shouted,

"Oh, thanks a lot, Hawkgirl! HELP!"

The two disappeared. Hawkgirl shook her head,

"I don't think it's ever been this crazy since we got new people."  
John reminded her,

"Before, or after you and Hawk had that brawl?"  
The Thanagarian warrior looked at him innocently,

"What? He started it. He should know better than to grab me, even if we were a little plastered at that bar."

The Green Lantern shook his head.

**Meanwhile…**

Black Canary was livid,

"Queen, I know you're still on this station! Come out and face me, you pervert!"  
The blonde martial artist tore open a locker and slammed it shut again. She had heard through the rumor mill that Green Arrow had a video tape of Miss Marvel in the shower. Naturally, Dinah was not taking this well. She made a mental note to tell Carol afterwards about it, but, for now, was making a checklist of things to do to Ollie when she caught up with him.

Luck was on her side as she saw Green Arrow rounding a corner. He was panting, as if running from something. He then saw the his girlfriend Black Canary and winced,

"Oh, this is bad."

He turned around, but saw Diablos' irate look in his eyes. The red-eyed hero had his arms folded,

"Hello, Oliver."

Dinah shouted,

"I get first dibs!"

Lance shrugged,

"Go ahead. I'm looking for Gardner and Booster. Those two are in on it."

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw said two heroes trying to sneak away. Lance, pulling out his sword, shouted,

"There you are! Come back here!"  
The chase was on, as the hero from the future and the Green Lantern bolted like crazy, avoiding the near misses of the maddened swordsman. Ollie sighed in relief, only to turn to his irate girlfriend,

"Oh, no."

Black Canary grinned evilly,

"Now, you're all mine!"  
Guy Gardner and Booster Gold were running for their lives, Diablos hot on their heels. The fame-seeker shouted,

"What did we do this time?"

Lance shouted,

"You two spied on Tigra and Persiana when they were sparring again! And this time, you tried hooking it up to the Internet!"

Guy Gardner moaned,

"Come on! Aren't you being a bit overprotective about her?"  
This response was followed by the red-head barely dodging another sword strike. Booster pulled out ahead,

"Well, that answers that question."

He shouted,

"HELP! DIABLOS IS TRYING TO KILL US!"  
Fire, who was reading a fashion magazine, responded,

"That's nice, Michael. Just play nicely and don't try to do anything perverted."

Guy shouted,

"Some help you are!"

**At Titans Mansion… **

Persiana had finished a long shower and stretch and was sleeping comfortably in her bed. She was completely nude, her costume laying somewhere in the room. The lioness did not care; she was tired and someone else would clean up. She had rested her head on her arms, and was letting the sun warm her back. She smiled to herself at how great she had it; a new world, a new family, and a new boyfriend. Farrah knew she would not squander this opportunity again, and would do everything she can to protect her pride.

She turned her head to her side and noticed the phone. Since arriving in this new world, the four Avengers had established their identities, and Farrah knew the locations of all of them. She even had Miss Marvel's phone number and a sly smile came across her lips. In need to relax, she grabbed the phone with her arm and dialed Carol's number.

Carol did answer,

"Hello?"

Farrah said sleepily,

"Hi, Barbie."

There was an immediate growl, followed by,

"What do you want? I don't need any lip coming from a walking natural disaster."  
Farrah grinned,

"I'm not a natural disaster. Tornados are natural disasters. Earthquakes are natural disasters. Every time I see you saunter around the Watchtower, it's a natural disaster."  
She then immediately hung up, but could hear the sounds of an irate Boston woman swearing and cursing. The lioness smiled,

"Ah, perfect."  
She lay back down and drifted off to sleep.

Next Chapter:

A villain from Persiana's world is reborn in the DC universe. Find out who, next time.


	9. Chapter 9

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 9: Look Who's back! 

Three days after the attack in Metropolis, Clark Kent and Lois Lane were invited to an exhibition at LexCorp Industries of some new top secret project. Lois sighed,

"Calm down, Smallville. I know how much you don't like the guy, but this is a big story."  
The man from Kansas nodded,

"I understand, Lois, but-."  
Lois glared at him,

"No buts, Clark. Besides…"  
Her gaze softened as she whispered huskily,

"Superman will be there to protect me."

The Man of Steel shook his head; his wife could be so convincing.

His super-hearing had picked up something. Someone was close by. He said to Lois,

"I think you should open the window."

Lois, a bit confused, did so anyway. As she got away, Persiana came somersaulting in. She rolled on the floor and jumped up, landing on all fours perched on the sofa. She stood up,

"Ta-da! Thank you, I'll be here all week."

She dropped to all fours and smiled,

"Hey, Lois."  
Lois was surprised and looked at Clark,

"You knew she was coming."

Persiana smiled and balanced on one hand,

"Calm down, lady. Clarky invited me purely as scientific curiosity."

She tilted her head,

"You look tense, Lois."

The reporter from the Daily Planet shook her head,

"Well, you would be too if a were-cat somersaulted into your apartment."  
Clark shook his head,

"Why couldn't you meet us there?"  
Farrah shrugged,

"This is more fun. Besides, I stopped a robbery on my way over here. You wouldn't believe how easy it was to stop those guys when they saw me do the splits."

Clark asked,

"Do you have any shame whatsoever?"

The lioness asked innocently,

"Why, should I?"

Lois laughed,

"You know, kid. I like you."

Clark decided to change the subject,

"Well, we should be going. We don't want to be late."

**At an outdoor assembly… **

Fortunately, the three were not late. Clark and Lois were able to sit in front because of their press badges. Farrah claimed to be with them, so she got her own press badge.

The crowd itself was hustle and bustle, with many wondering what Lex Luthor had planned this time. Although many knew of Lex's reputation to destroy the League, many more dismissed it, still supporting him and his industry. Persiana heard stories from the League, especially from Superman, about the years Lex has tried to destroy the Last Son of Kypton and the League, and on occasion, almost succeeded. Farrah had an encounter with him when he created Connor (1), but that was awhile ago. Now, this was different.

After a few minutes of waiting, Lex Luthor, in one of his million dollar business suits, took to the podium. Needing no introduction, he simply stated,

"My friends, thank you for coming. Today marks a new age; an age where the League is no longer needed."  
Everyone in the crowd gasped at the claim. Lois called out,

"Why, you're gonna destroy them or something?"  
The bald scientist laughed,

"Ah, my dear Miss Lane. How…cute…of you to suggest such an idea. No, my fellow citizens of Metropolis and the media, nothing like that. The Justice League will not be around forever, so I have taken the liberty to take into account a new way to ensure that we, as human beings, are safe, forever!"

He waited for the rousing applause to cease before continuing,

"Dr. Henry Pym, could you join me on stage?"

At this, Persiana had her jaw drop open in shock. She could not believe that Hank got out of Arkham so quickly (2), or he had been behind the robbery. The lioness just watched as Hank, dressed in a lab coat, walked onto the stage, a remote in his hand.

What was next was even more shocking. A silver-colored robot with red eyes and a red mouth similar to a jack-o-lantern was walking behind the size changing scientist. Hank looked out in the crowd and noticed Farrah. He delivered a smug smile, one that made the lioness growl. She clenched her fist, her blood starting to boil over. She said through gritted teeth,

"Excuse me."  
She disappeared into the crowd. Lois asked,

"Is something wrong with her?"

Superman nodded,

"There might be. I hope she doesn't do anything rash."

Lex asked,

"Dr. Pym, could you explain your robot friend?"  
Hank nodded,

"Yes, sir. This is Ultron, a fully automated android, capable of storing massive amounts of data and has the ability to continuously update itself without the need for human involvement. It also has the durability and strength of Superman, and can compute battle tactics and make weapons as the need arises. I have grafted my brain patterns to its programming. It is effectively an extension of my self, with all my intellect and desire for the greater good."

The people were awed by such a magnificent creation. Superman thought to himself,

_I've got to talk to Persiana and the Avengers about this. They should know about it. _

Lois asked,

"Aren't you worried that something like this could be used to harm the people it protects?"

Lex was about to say something when Hank answered,

"I have worked out all the possible problems a robot like Ultron can have. Believe me, miss, he is incapable of being taken over."

Lex, a little agitated, smiled,

"You see, even the robot's creator has no doubt of its capacity and capabilities. Now, if I could only demonstrate its abilities in a real life simulation…"

Suddenly, a loud, animal like growl could be heard. Clark swallowed,

"Farrah, you shouldn't be-."  
He then noticed a robotic lion stalking Hank Pym. Hank turned around and immediately Ultron defended him, firing at the lion, blowing it do bits.

The demonstration drew cheers and applause from everyone, even Superman and Lois, although both still had reservations. Lex managed to say over the crowd,

"I will have the first batch of Ultron units ready by the end of this year! Because of there meticulous creation, that is the earliest we can expect them! Thank you for your time!"  
With that, he, Hank, and Ultron left the stage. Reporters tried to get their questions answered.

As the three moved away, Lex's bodyguard, a woman named Mercy, had the car waiting around the back. As she opened the door, Lex smiled,

"Dr. Pym, it was an effective demonstration."  
The former Avenger nodded,

"Yes, especially when she shows up."

Lex asked,

"Who?"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Persiana had landed on all fours on the roof of the car. She glared straight threw Lex and into Hank Pym. Her fangs were fully reared and she had significantly dented the limousine.

Hank smirked,

"Hello, Persiana. Fancy meeting you here."

Farrah growled, then dropped down and stood up at her full height. She was practically nose to nose with her boyfriend's murderer. Mercy wanted to intervene, but Lex stopped her, grabbing her arm.

The feline heroine glared,

"I'm watching you. Mess up once, League rules or not, I will kill you."  
She looked at Lex and said,

"Here's some advise, moneybags; Put a bullet through him when you get the chance. He has a tendency to kill his own allies."

She somersaulted onto another car and jumped high, then swung from a lamppost and scaled a building. When she got to the roof, the lioness looked back and then disappeared in almost an instant.

Yellow Jacket smiled evilly,

"Well, like I said, I knew she'd show up."  
Lex asked,

"Is there something I should know about the two of you?"

Hank shook his head,

"Right now, it's not a concern. I have someone else taking care of it for me."

Lex did not like the answer to that question; the bald billionaire knew how much of an asset he was to his plans to destroy Superman, but he did not like his mysteries about whom he had a working relationship with. Perhaps his other ally can shed some light on the situation.

Next Chapter:  
More Plots Schemed.

(1) See "The Clone Saga" in the first story

(2) See the last chapter of the first story


	10. Chapter 10

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 10: Plots Aplenty! 

Persiana had called the Justice League and her former Avengers teammates into a meeting to discuss the situation. Presently, Hank Pym was released from Arkham and had created an Ultron robot. The Avengers knew all too well the madness in their world created by the maniacal android. Now that Hank was the bad guy, and he re-created it here, the Justice League needed to know what they were going to be up against. Even Batman was cleared to attend this meeting. He wanted to be there, even if Persiana felt he should be in bed resting.

Tigra shook her head,

"I can't believe Hank did this."

Wonder Man, who had been around the Avengers the longest, nodded,

"I know. Ultron's tormented the Avengers, and the world, for years."  
Flash scoffed,

"C'mon, he can't be that bad."  
Miss Marvel shook her head,

"He is. Recently, in our world, he took over Tony Stark and Ultron became a female." (1)

At this, Farrah smiled widely,

"Seriously? I wish I was there to see that! Then again, it does seem appropriate, considering he never had any to begin with."

Martian Manhunter asked,

"Is he anything like Brainiac?"

Sentry shook his head,

"Worse, J'onn. Much worse. Ultron is willing to commit mass genocide of all organic life, to fit its own twisted view of perfection."

Tigra added,

"Not to mention that, every time we destroy him, he comes back, better, and more adaptable than before. Also, he's almost indestructible."

Batman thought for a moment in silence. As he was listening, he noticed something about Sentry. Robert was visibly uncomfortable talking about the subject and understandably so; according to the Hero of a Million Suns, Ultron killed his wife. The fact that she was brought back to life amazed the Dark Knight, and further investigation would be required.

Finally, Batman broke his silence,

"We have to get the schematics of Ultron and find out how Yellow Jacket created him. I'm going."  
At this, Persiana protested,

"No way, Bats. You're still recovering from when you got shot."  
Tigra tried to get a word in,

"Farrah, calm down."

Persiana looked at her,

"Greer, I-."

The tigress sternly looked at her younger sister,

"Farrah, listen to me. Go talk to the others about Ultron, and have Simon and Carol help. Understand?"

Farrah knew what her friend was trying to do. She shook her head, sighing,

"Fine."

She left, along with said Avengers.

The rest of the League was stunned by what just happened. Greer stood in front and bowed,

"I have to apologize for her. She's always been like this. She can be overprotective sometimes."  
Batman did not appear to have heard the tigress' comments, but, in a way, had to respect Persiana. She genuinely did care about his well-being. He said,

"It's nothing. We have to focus on Ultron now."

He walked away.

**Meanwhile… **

While Lex and Yellow Jacket were conspiring with their new-found toy, Gorilla Grodd had decided to retreat to his secret lab on a cliff side just outside Central City. He was busy running experiments on something he had found while in Gorilla City years ago, but was interrupted by his many attempts to destroy Flash. He studied carefully,

"Interesting readings. I believe I have discovered a new life form on Earth. The readings suggest it is alien, however."  
He looked further down the chart, nodding,

"Well, it does not appear to be that useful, however. Still, it is a nice diversion."

He put the canister the 'alien' was contained in a secure vault and closed the door. He sighed,

"I wonder, just what is it about Lex's new ally that he is not telling us?"

He swung over, easy moving his massive bulk with surprising agility; to a machine he had constructed to enhance his psychic abilities.

A tall, red-headed young woman in a pink toga walked in, asking,

"Grodd, baby. Is something wrong?"

Grodd smiled,

"No, my dear Giganta. Everything is fine. I just have some serious reservations about Lex's new allies, and I need to find out-."  
Suddenly, the simian scientist found himself knocked out with a dart. Giganta turned, only to be taken out by the same thing.

**On Themysciria… **

A blonde woman in regal robes was sitting on her throne, contemplating. Her name is Queen Hippolyta, and she leads the Amazons on her island. Isolated from the rest of the world, Themyscriria has long prospered, being completed devoid of war, famine, and violence, but that did not mean it was not well defended. The Amazons were blessed by the gods and given immortality, super strength, reflexes, and several magical artifacts to further enhance their fighting abilities.

The queen's head jerked up when the door to her throne room was open. A red-headed woman in battle armor typical of an Amazon stormed in, her eyes scowling at her queen. She was Artemis of the Bana-Magadhall, a tribe of Amazon's recently (and by that, I mean within the last three thousand years) admitted onto the island. Unlike the original Amazons under Hippolyta's care, Artemis and her tribe were warriors first and last, with little regard for peace or justice. Artemis was also extremely irate that Diana, an exiled Amazon, was still carrying the title of Wonder Woman, and she intended to vent her displeasure.

Hipployta looked at Artemis,

"Artemis, why have you come?"  
Artemis glared her queen,

"For years, the Amazons have always valued the status of Wonder Woman. Now, it is in the hands of an Amazon that has been exiled from returning. That simply cannot be. There must be another contest to decide the next Wonder Woman."  
Hippolyta sighed in her head; why did she let them on in the first place? However, she looked at her subject,

"Artemis, I grant you, this situation has not happened before, but it does not make Diana any less of a capable warrior than you or I."

Artemis narrowed her eyes,

"Is that it, or are you just stalling because she is your own daughter?"

At this, Hippolyta faltered. She knew never to show her true feelings to her subjects, but there was a certain rage building up. The queen would have loved to teach this young brat a lesson about respect. However, she finally said,

"Very well. I shall call Diana back, as well as Donna, for the Contest of Amazons."

Artemis smugly smiled,

"Good. I look forward to it."

She left.

Hippolyta sat back down, rubbing the bridge of her nose, small tears trickling down her cheeks.

As Artemis and several of her loyal followers got away from the castle, the red-headed bow user was reflecting on something she remembered from childhood.

Thousands of years ago, a tribe of Amazon warriors dared to venture into Man's World and established a city in the middle of the desert. This city was Bana-Magadhall, the first Amazon city outside Themysciria. For a time, it prospered, until one fateful day, when an unknown force annihilated every member of the tribe, except Artemis. She was only a child then, so she did not understand what was happening. One thing, however, was burned into her mind forever.

All she could remember was a man with a pair of piercing red eyes…

Next Chapter:

A meeting at the Tower about Ultron and Hippolyta's visit.

(1) Read the first six issues of "Mighty Avengers"


	11. Chapter 11

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Dr. Eve Willows, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 11: Amazonian Antics Part 1 

Persiana and the other Avengers were holding a meeting in the simulation room. With them were several of the League's scientists; one was dressed in armor with a red cape and carried a sledge hammer. His name is John Henry Irons, the hero known as Steel. The other scientists were Dr. Light and Blue Beetle.

Tigra scratched her head,

"This is it? Persiana, I would think you would invite more than them."

"She invited me too, ya know."  
Instantly, the Avengers all tensed. Greer got nervous,

"Is the Watchtower haunted? I really hate ghosts."  
Suddenly, before the League's eyes, a man seeming appeared from out of nowhere. He grew to his height and smiled,

"The Atom, at your service."  
He bowed graciously.

Farrah smirked,

"Heel, Ray. You're married."  
Ray looked at the lioness,

"Divorced, but that's enough of my personal life. Tell us about Ultron."

Persiana nodded, then looked to Simon,

"You've fought Ultron longer than the rest of us, Wonder Man. You can start this off."  
Simon was a little surprised, but managed to begin,

"Hank Pym created an Ultron robot a long time ago, when the Avengers from my world-."

Persiana growled at the name of the man that murdered her boyfriend. Tigra swallowed nervously and said,

"Maybe we should continue."

Wonder Man nodded,

"Right, so, Ultron redesigned himself over the years he had been defeated. Everything from upgraded weaponry and armor, to inventing new machines or ways to turn organic life into robotic perfection."

Sentry punched something on the screen,

"We'll show you what a basic Ultron unit looks like."  
Miss Marvel and Persiana stared each other down for a minute, and then began. Persiana ran on all fours to the computer and typed in some commands.

In a moment, in the center of the room, the hologram of Ultron appeared. Simon explained,

"Whenever the Avengers fought him, Ultron could turn himself from solid to energy almost instantaneously, allowing himself to be rebuilt by not only drones, but several other creations he had designed as well. However, that was not the only thing he could do. He could also drain energy from any outside source and recharge his powers."

Sentry added,

"He is also an insidious planner and mastermind. He can take control of people's minds and use them for his own purpose."

The hologram Ultron added,

"And I can make a mean soufflé!"

At this, everyone jumped in fright. Persiana was on the floor, laughing,

"Sorry, I couldn't resist."

The lioness looked at the irate stares she was getting. She asked innocently,

"What happened to you guys? Did you leave your sense of humor behind or what?"

Carol stormed up to the feline acrobat,

"Listen, you! If you could grasp the seriousness of this situation, you would not be making smart-ass remarks and playing pranks!"

Persiana just blankly stared at her blonde teammate, the only motion was blinking. Miss Marvel raised her hands in frustration,

"Forget it; I am through trying to make you see reason."

Blue Beetle raised his hand,

"So, this is the basic outline of Ultron. How will we be able to stop it?"

Wonder Man nodded,

"Ultron, no matter how hard he a body, we always had a way to remove its head. By disabling that, we can stop him."  
Atom surmised,

"So, we find out what he's made of, and then get something stronger. That shouldn't be too hard. If that doesn't work, I can always shrink down and destabilize the connectors' molecules."

Persiana nodded, and then her ears started twitching. So did Tigra's. The were-felines instantly tensed and followed the sound, without saying a word.

Everyone looked at each other, slightly confused as to what was happening. Simon, however, knew,

"They can hear something."

The others followed them.

Tigra and Persiana did not have to go far when they saw Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl talking with their mother, Hippolyta. The tigress asked,

"Do you know the blonde?"

Farrah shook her head,

"Never seen her before, but Diana said she does have a mother with blonde hair."

Her eyes narrowed and noticed the surprised look Diana was giving. Farrah decided to approach.

Hipployta said,

"You must return to Theymiscira and participate in the Contest of Amazons."  
Donna was surprised,

"That would mean giving up Diana's title as Wonder Woman."  
Artemis, who was in attendance, nodded,

"Yes, it does. Diana was banished from the island. There are those of us that believe there must be a new contest."

"Like hell there should be."

Everyone turned and noticed Persiana, perched on a railing, glaring venomously at Hippolyta. Artemis narrowed her eyes,

"And what might this…creature…be?"

Donna explained,

"This is Persiana, the warrior I told you about."

Hippolyta studied the were-lioness carefully. She thought,

_So, this is the woman that persuaded Diana to wear that outfit. _**(1)**_ She is young, but her eyes have experience. Donna has said she is an agile fighter. I wonder how she perches like that. _

The red-headed bow-user made a snide comment,

"Looks like something to put in a cage."

Persiana snarled,

"Come a little closer, Red. I don't think my claws heard you."  
Hippolyta turned to the red-headed Amazon,

"Artemis, we are guests. We are only here to retrieve Diana and Donna and commence the contest. Nothing more."

Artemis narrowed her eyes at the lioness,

"This is not over, cat."  
Persiana smirked,

"Looking forward to it."  
She then turned to Hippolyta,

"You can't just come here and invite Diana back into your all girls club house. You were the one that kicked her out in the first place. Why should she do anything you say now?"  
Tigra came near her friend. She knew her fellow furry teammate was agitated, and she was only looking out for Diana. Greer put her hand on her friend's shoulder,

"Little sis, I know you're only looking out for her, but look at it this way; Diana won the contest once, she can do it again."

Persiana did not let up her glare at the queen of the Amazons. Tigra pulled her sister away, whispering into the lioness' ear,

"Farrah, she is not worth it, no matter how badly you want to knock her around. Besides, I don't think Donna would approve."

The white-haired heroine glared at the queen of the Amazons. Hippolyta looked back, stoic in her appearance,

"I will not show bias in this contest. Whoever the new Wonder Woman is, I shall support."  
Farrah scoffed,

"Whatever."  
She stormed off, muttering,

"I need to hit something."

Tigra breathed a sigh of relief quietly, thankful that it ended the way it did. Hippolyta said,

"We should be heading back."

She turned to her daughter Donna,

"What do you see in her?"

Wonder Girl shrugged,

"She's flexible. Plus, she has shown me much of Man's World."

Artemis grumbled,

"That thing should be skinned and displayed as a prize. I cannot believe she flaunts herself so openly. It is undignified."

Hyppolyta nodded,

"I agree. I am at a loss to explain how she was even able to persuade Diana to wear that…that garb."

Diana groaned out loud,

"Mother!"

Donna added,

"From what I have heard, Batman was very compliant with her every order."

The queen of the Amazons shook her head,

"I have yet to figure out a way to forget that. I have drunk enough wine to intoxicate the entire realm of Hades and still nothing."

As the four Amazons made their way to the elevator, Simon looked at Tigra,

"What was that all about?"

Tigra answered,

"Farrah's instincts kicked on. I guess she's still remembering what happened back then."

Suddenly, there was a loud scream, followed by Artemis flying clear across the hallway. The red-head crashed into a wall, but stood up angrily, glaring murderously,

"YOU ARE GOING TO DIE, MONSTER!"  
Diablos had his sword drawn, his eyes glowing red.

Artemis charged in, sword drawn as well. Diablos braced for an attack and the two began fencing with each other.

Hippolyta rubbed the bridge of her nose,

"I did not need this now."

Diana asked,

"Mother, what is going on?"

The queen shook her head,

"Later, Diana. First, we need to separate the two of them."

Donna smirked,

"At least Persiana did not start a fight this time."

Persiana shouted,

"Hey, I heard that!"

Next Chapter:

Why has Artemis gone after Diablos? Find out Next Chapter

(1) Read Love in the Shadows for details.


	12. Chapter 12

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Dr. Eve Willows._

Chapter 12: Amazonian Antics Part 2 

Artemis narrowed her eyes,

"I don't know how you survived, but I will kill you!"

She charged again, screaming in battle frenzy. Diablos braced himself for an attack and deflected each sword strike. He said,

"Lady, I've never met you before in my life. You're obviously confusing me with someone else."  
The red-head shouted,

"LIES! I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!"  
She raised her sword, but Wonder Woman stopped her,

"Artemis, what is the meaning of this?"  
Persiana snarled,

"That's pretty gutsy attacking my boyfriend in front of me."  
She pushed Artemis into a wall, growling,

"Start talking; or I start plucking eyeballs."  
Hippolyta, along with the Avengers, all came onto the scene. The Amazon queen ordered,

"What is the meaning of this attack, Artemis?"  
The Amazon bow wielder never took her gaze off of Diablos,

"That menace destroyed most of the Bana-Magadhall!"  
Everyone was stunned by that claim. However, Persiana shook her head,

"No way. Diablos is barely 19. There's no way he could have done something like this. Besides, he says it's the first time he's ever seen your face."

She then let go of the Amazon warrior. Diablos sheathed his sword and wiped the sweat off his brow,

"Look, miss. I've never seen you before in my life, as I stated earlier. Whatever grudge you're holding onto, let it go."

Artemis scowled,

"Never. I'll never forget what you've done!"  
Hippolyta said forcefully,

"Artemis, that is enough!"

The Amazon backed off, lest she get the queen irate.

Wonder Man looked to Carol,

"What do you think?"

Miss Marvel answered,

"No way. Look at that kid. I hate to say it, but Farrah's right. There's no way Lance could have done this."

Hippolyta looked at Diablos. There was something about this young man that made the queen feel as those she had seen him before, but could not place it. She dismissed the thought entirely.  
Artemis tried to say something,

"Your Highness-."  
Hippolyta said firmly,

"This was unnecessary. We are to return to Themyisciria immediately to hold the Contest of Amazons."

Artemis glared at Diablos,

"I will not forget this, demon."  
She stormed away, Diana and Donna following. Farrah called out,

"Win, Diana. I know you can."  
Wonder Woman looked back and smiled,

"I will."  
The four Amazons left for the transporter.

By this time, the remaining founders had arrived and witnessed everything. Diablos dusted himself off and shook his head,

"I seriously don't know what that woman's problem is."  
Flash shrugged,

"Could be worse. Persiana could've been involved too."  
Farrah gasped in mock shock,

"Flash, I'm surprised at you. I am not that bad."

Batman narrowed his eyes at the red-eyed hero. Something was wrong with the way Diablos responded.

Green Lantern used his power ring conjured up a small green bulldozer,

"Well, we should at least get this place cleaned up."

Hawkgirl smirked,

"At least it wasn't as bad as the last brawl that broke out between Supergirl and Zatanna."  
Superman shuddered,

"I don't want to think about it."

As the clean-up began, Tigra went to see her friend Farrah. The lioness looked at her,

"Something wrong, big sis?"

Greer nodded,

"Yeah, could we talk somewhere more…private?"  
Farrah narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but knew her friend wouldn't try anything. Still, she kept on her guard and led Tigra to an empty room. As soon as the door closed, the were-tigress said,

"There was something about Diablos you should know."  
Farrah smirked and folded her arms,

"Greer, I know what you're trying to say, but, Lance is a sweet young man. Artemis was just confused."  
Tigra shook her head,

"It isn't that. I could smell Lance. He was lying."  
Farrah looked at her friend,

"Seriously?"  
She thought for a moment,

"Come to think of it, I did kind of get the feeling he wasn't telling the truth."

"That's what I want to know."

At this, the two were-felines jumped in fright. Batman had sneaked into the room and emerged from the shadows. Farrah was angry,

"Do you have to do that every time you enter a room?"

The Dark Knight stayed stoic,

"We need to investigate him."

Farrah tensed,

"Wait, Batman. Let me talk to him. Let me find out first if he's lying."

She came closer, almost whispering,

"Please."

Batman thought for a moment,

"Fine. Do it your way, for now. I'll do my own checking."

He went into the shadows and disappeared as suddenly as he appeared. Greer asked,

"Does he always do that?"

Farrah nodded,

"Yeah, he does. I'm starting to get used to it."

**Meanwhile… **

Grodd was being awakened by a familiar voice,

"Wakey, wakey, monkey boy."  
The simian telepath's eyes shot open and noticed Eve Willows smiling smugly at him. Grodd scowled,

"Dr. Willows, what a fancy surprise."

He tried to use his telepathic powers, but Eve shook her head,

"Now, now, monkey. We don't want you to escape from the zoo just yet."  
Grodd was having very serious doubts about Lex's new ally,

"Miss, you will release me from this."

Eve smirked,

"Make me. Oh, wait; you don't have your psychic powers."

She mockingly cooed,

"That's too bad, my monkey. You'd make an excellent pet at the zoo, though. Or, at least Giganta would."  
The blonde scientist walked over to a table with a cloth covered over it. She removed the sheet and Grodd, for the first time in his life, was horrified at what he saw.

Giganta, his creation, was on a table, and it looked like there had been an autopsy done. Eve looked over to the ape,

"I must admit, Grodd; your extensive knowledge in genetics has pushed my research further than I could have ever imagined. With your pet project, I can continue a new experiment I have been working on for quite some time."

She began packing some notes in a briefcase and looked at the mangled body of the once former giant woman,

"Now, this is unnecessary. Whatever should I do with this body?"

She snapped her fingers,

"I know."

The scientist walked over to a closet and pulled out an orange box. Grodd instantly knew what that was and struggled to break his bonds,

"You will regret this, human."

Eve pulled out a road flare and smiled,

"I regret nothing, ape."  
She threw it in the body of Giganta. In seconds, it caught fire. By then, Eve had disappeared.

Grodd summoned all his strength and managed to break the shackles of his confinement. Navigating through the fire, he managed to get to the cylinder and escape, just as fire spread throughout the lab.

The simian watched from a tree and saw a speeding car driving away. His eyes narrowed. He was going to get revenge for what happened to him, and to Giganta.

Next Chapter:

John Stewart, Sentry, and Vixen head off into space to help the Green Lantern Corps take on a new threat. Find out next time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 13: Space Case Catastrophe! 

A Green Lantern with short black hair and a green eye mask was drifting in space, his power ring creating a shield for him to breathe in. His name is Kyle Rainer, one of the newest Green Lantern Corps members. He is an artist by design, and the ring chose him to be its new bearer. Kyle used his ring and tried to communicate,

"Any…Lantern…in…the…sector…please…help…me…"

He struggled to stay conscious, because, if he did not, he would die in space.

**At the Watchtower… **

John Stewart and Hawkgirl were in bed, Shayera's head resting on the John's chest. Her wings were fully spread and the Green Lantern swore he was looking at an angel. He smiled,

"Angel."

The Thanagarian warrior looked up,

"You know how I hate it when you call me that."

She whispered huskily,

"Especially in bed."  
John laughed at that,

"That's true."  
Shayera punched him in the stomach. Green Lantern coughed,

"Ow! Shayera!"

Hawkgirl smirked,

"Serves you right for dating Vixen."  
The intergalactic law enforcement officer shook his head,

"Is this about that Hawkman? I am telling you, Shayera, he was bad news to begin with."  
Shayera shrugged,

"Maybe, but he was good in bed."  
John shook his head, then got a call from his ring,

"Green Lantern John Stewart reporting."  
His eyes widened,

"When did this happen?"

Shayera noticed the look of concern on her boyfriend's face. She squeezed his hand as he continued,

"Yeah, I'll be right over."

He got out of bed and used his power ring to conjure his Green Lantern uniform. He looked at Shayera,

"Kyle's in trouble. I'm heading over."  
Shayera got up,

"I'm coming, too."

She started to walk to the door when John asked,

"Aren't you going to put on your costume?"  
Hawkgirl blushed sheepishly and glared at him,

"Not one word, John. Not one word."

As the two were making their way to the hangar, they ran into Sentry and Vixen. Vixen was catching her breath, leaning up against the wall,

"I never knew Simon could be so hard to catch."

Sentry said,

"Well, he is made of energy. He can keep running indefinitely, I suppose."

Green Lantern looked at them,

"Hey, Sentry. Vixen."  
Hawkgirl scowled at the mystically-empowered heroine, then said,

"There's a distress call from one of the other Green Lanterns. We could use some help."  
Sentry nodded,

"All right, I'll go."  
Vixen sighed,

"I guess I'll come, too. After all, Simon isn't anywhere."

John did not know how to respond to that comment, but left with Hawkgirl, Sentry, and Vixen.

Around a corner, Simon peeked his head out and sighed heavily, relieved that Vixen was no longer on his trail. He turned around and his face sank,

"Oh, no…"  
Gypsy and Supergirl were giggling madly. The Kryptonian heroine said,

"I finally found you, my Simon!"  
Gypsy scoffed,

"Your Simon! He's mine!"  
The two began a tussle and a cat-fight erupted. Wonder Man thought to himself,

"I think I'll join Sentry."

With that, he flew away, toward the Javelins.

Surprisingly, Simon made it to the hanger first. He just noticed John and the others entering as well. The ionic hero called out,

"Hey, GL. Got room for one more?"

Vixen instantly squealed,

"BABY!"  
She sprinted after him and jumped in his arms.

Hawkgirl changed the subject,

"We have to get going. Kyle might be dead right now."  
With that, the five heroes left for space.

**Some time later… **

The entire trip was relatively uneventful, unless you were Vixen and Wonder Man. While Sentry was observing space, John was piloting, and Hawkgirl was looking for the transmission, the former Avenger and animal-powered heroine were sitting down, Vixen wrapping herself around his arm. Simon was nervous around the African-American model, but had to admit, she was attractive. In a way, she reminded him of Tigra, at least, before she got her powers under control. (1)

John saw Kyle's body ahead and approached carefully, trying to come up near the Green Lantern. He said to himself,

"Easy, Kyle. I'm here, kid."

As he moved in, however, a yellow light enveloped Kyle's body and started pulling the Green Lantern to the planet below. Surprised, Hawkgirl tried to find out who was on the planet below, but could not.

Wonder Man asked concernedly,

"Is that supposed to happen?"

John shook his head,

"No. It looks like Sinestro has managed to lure us here with Kyle's body."

Sentry nodded,

"I read about him in the files. He has a similar ring to the Green Lanterns, but it is in yellow."  
Vixen nodded,

"Yeah. Green Lanterns can't affect anything yellow, but yellow can affect everything."

The Thanagarian looked at the monitor,

"The planet below is breathable for all of us. We go in, get Kyle out, and find out how quickly Sinestro bleeds."

Sentry winced and whispered to John,

"Is she always like this?"

The Green Lantern shook his head,

"I wouldn't go there if I were you. Trust me."  
The Hero of a Million Suns sat back down quietly and quickly.

As the Javelin landed and its passengers disembarked, Kyle Rainer's unconscious body was thrown into the side of the plane. Vixen rushed to him and checked his vitals,

"He's alive, but unconscious."

"Pity, I was hoping that would kill him."

The five turned and saw a brutish figure with purple and black armor and yellow skin. He had a sort of metallic cap attacked to his skull, and he was smiling arrogantly. His name is Mongul, dictator of Warworld and enemy of Superman.

Mongul smiled,

"Hello, Green Lantern."  
He looked at some of the other heroes, as well as Wonder Man and Sentry. The autocrat tilted his head slightly,

"I don't believe I have been introduced to any of the others."

John powered up,

"Where's Sinestro?"  
Mongul laughed,

"Sinestro? Why are you looking for him? I am the one you should be worried about."

Hawkgirl readied her mace and charged in, flying quickly.

Mongul simply smirked.

Suddenly, the dictator was enveloped in yellow energy and Mongul looked like he was readying a punch. However, it was not, and it stunned John Stewart.

It was a yellow power ring…

Next Chapter:  
The Justice League vs. Mongol.

(1) Read West Coast Avengers Series for details.


	14. Chapter 14

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 14: Mongul Mayhem!  


John was surprised,

"OK, did not see this coming."

He created a shield around himself and the others, but Mongul just blasted right through it, leveling the former Marine down.

Vixen went to check up on him while Wonder Man barreled in and hit with a hard right cross. The dictator from Warworld felt it, but barely. He smirked,

"Well, that was impressive. But, so is THIS!"  
He used his ring and the energy took the form of a shotgun and let the ionic hero have it with both barrels. Simon got leveled, but he stood back up, shaking his head,

"OK, I felt that."  
He charged in and began pushing Mongul across the forest.

Hawkgirl shook her head and had recovered at this time. She looked over to the downed John Stewart and saw Vixen standing over him. She clenched her fists tightly, almost breaking her mace in the process. However, she had to keep her cool.

The Thanagarian walked over to John,

"How is he?"

Vixen checked,

"He has a pulse, but he is unconscious, just like Kyle."  
Hawkgirl directed,

"Vixen, you take John and Kyle in the Javelin and get back to the Watchtower. Tell them what's happening. Sentry, Wonder Man, and I are stopping Mongul here."  
The animal powered heroine shook her head,

"No way, Hawkgirl. I'm not leaving you on this planet stranded."  
The mace wielder got her teammate's face,

"That's an order, Vixen. Don't question me."

Just then, Wonder Man got thrown back into the Javelin, destroying a wing. Vixen looked up and was furious. She roared,

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY MAN!"  
She took on the powers of a rhino and stampeded right at Mongul. The yellow ring user grinned and let the attack come on, thinking there is no way a woman with such a petite frame could hurt him. Boy, was he in for a surprise.

Vixen, with the power of a rhino, kicked Mongul in the groin hard. This sent the dictator to the ground, clutching his manhood.

Sentry winced from the sight,

"That hurt."  
Despite the agonizing pain, Mongul managed to concentrate long enough for the ring to deliver a blast to Vixen. The animal powered heroine was thrown to the Javelin, but at the last second, took on the ability of a cat and landed on all fours on top of the Javelin. Sentry looked at how the situation was and, although he wanted to do something, his agoraphobia was preventing from doing so. He hated being outside. But, Robert also hated Mongul. He read about him in the files. The man was just as much of a tyrant as Doom.

Sentry stepped in front of them,

"Get out of here. I'll hold him off."  
Wonder Man looked at his teammate,

"Bobby, you're sure?"

The Hero of a Million Suns nodded,

"Yeah, I am."  
Wonder Man began getting the others clear away. The Javelin was in no condition to fly, so Simon got the others away.

Mongul stared at his adversary,

"Well, impressive you would have the courage to fight me. Still, it won't save you."  
He fired off another burst of yellow energy from the ring.

Sentry narrowed his eyes and batted the hardened light construct to the side.

Mongul was stunned. So was the rest of the League. Not even Superman could do something like that.

The power mad dictator growled and created a yellow energy construct of a rocket launcher. He then fired it directly at Sentry.

A loud explosion, followed by thick, black, billowing smoke, rose from the impact. The rest of the wounded League was displaced, separated from each other. Wonder Man, blinded by the smoke, did everything he could to try and find the rest of his comrades. However, he was also surprised about Sentry's attitude. He was never so confident in his life. Out of control, when Ultron tried to kill his wife, but that was different. This was confidence in his ability to fight back, and fight hard. He figured Mongul had no chance.

Mongol looked until the dust settled. When it did, he was surprised. And wounded. Sentry used his super-speed and punched Mongul with a super-strong punch. That sent the former ruler of Warworld straight into the sky. Mongul used his ring and glowed in a yellow aura. He slowed down and was floating in the air, but that did little to quell the next thunderous attack made by the Hero of a Million Suns. Sentry punched Mongul in the stomach, sucking all the air out of the ring-user. Then, Robert kicked Mongul in the back of the head, sending the dictator head first into the ground. The impact created a giant crater in the lake, sending tidal waves all across the shore.

Mongol was down for the count, which is what Sentry had hoped for. He quickly flew back to his teammates and friends.

At this time, Hawkgirl and the others were just waking up. Wonder Man was picking up Kyle's body,

"The Javelin's badly damaged. If Mongul wakes up, he may damage it again."

John rubbed his shoulder. It was dislocated, but he would live. He said,

"There's a distress beacon installed on this thing. I activated it the moment we were attacked. Help should be arriving soon."  
No sooner than the sentence was finished, three beams of green Light enveloped the Javelin. Everyone looked up and noticed three more Green Lanterns.

One was a male with a pig-like face and large build. He was called Kilowag.

The second was a female with black hair and purple-pink skin, wearing a form-fitting outfit. Her name is Katma Tui, John's trainer.

The third was another woman, this time a blonde with light skin and pointed ears, wearing white gloves and a short white skirt. Her name is Arisia.

Kilowag snorted,

"Hello, Poozers."  
Wonder Man asked,

"Did he just insult us?"

John smirked,

"Good to see you too, Kilowag."

Katma surveyed the damage of the ship and the League's condition and gasped,

"By the Guardians, John; what happened here?"  
The Green Lantern explained,

"Mongul's back and he has a yellow power ring."

Kilowag rubbed the bridge of his nose, or snout in his case,

"Great, the Guardians are gonna love this. Arisia, get on the horn now!"

He turned to the young blonde Lantern. She was staring dreamily at Wonder Man.

Simon was helping the wounded on board the damaged Javelin.

The ionic hero looked at her,

"Are you going to help me?"

Arisia squealed,

"I want your babies!"  
At this, Vixen miraculously regained consciousness and shouted,

"WHAT!"  
Despite having a back injury, she leapt out of the Javelin with remarkable speed and agility and tackled the Green Lantern, a cat-fight breaking out.

Katma Tui rolled her eyes,

"This was something that is not needed now."  
Hawkgirl, keeping her damaged wings close, shook her head, smirking,

"You should see the insanity in the Watchtower. Between Vixen, Zatanna, Gypsy, and Supergirl, I'm surprised the whole tower is still in orbit."

Sentry asked,

"Shouldn't we separate them?"

Kilowag waved off,

"Let the poozers fight. They'll wear each other out in a few hours."

Next Chapter:

Back to Earth.


	15. Chapter 15

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Hecate, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 15: Following a Pattern 

Batman was already at the computer in the Bat-cave, looking over some files. He was reviewing the security protocols for LexCorp for the last few days. Knowing Lex, he more than likely had updated security protocols for his buildings.

He sensed someone was behind him, but knew who it was. It was Persiana. She was silently watching in the dark. The Dark Knight said,

"You can come out now, Farrah."

The were-lioness swallowed nervously, but did not show it. She emerged from the darkness, her fur coat as brilliant as always. She walked on all fours and perched on a table near the computer,

"How are you feeling?"

Batman simply answered,

"Better."  
Farrah nodded,

"I'm glad."  
She looked down her back and watched her tail flutter for a little bit before continuing,

"You have a right not to like me."  
Batman looked at the feline heroine. She continued,

"It's not like I meant to keep you from your job or your duty. It's just…well…my nature as a lioness is to protect my pride. They're my family and it's my responsibility to look out for them and care for them. I may come off as funny and immature, but I am really serious about this. I really want to look out for you, Batman."  
Batman studied her for a minute in silence. His detective skills told him Persiana was telling the truth, but there was something else. Something that was bothering him. Something Bruce had to ask,

"You saw my face when you performed surgery."  
Farrah sulked at that,

"Sorry, it was just-."

"Why haven't you asked me who I was?"

Farrah looked a little surprised at the question. Then, she remembered,

"Batman, I don't know your real identity and, honestly, I don't care. If you want me to know about it, you can tell me. Besides, it's much more fun to know that you want Diana."  
This time, Batman was a little surprised. He decided to play along,

"How do you know I want her?"

Farrah grinned,

"Heightened senses. Every time you see her, your palms break out into sweat and your heart beats faster. You hide it well, I'll admit, but you can't hide it forever."

She shifted on all fours nervously, but maintained her perch.

Batman looked away, almost smirking. He had to admit; this woman was observant. Maybe he should hire her at Wayne Tech as a lab assistant.

The World's Greatest Detective said,

"I'm heading out to get the Ultron plans. Are you coming?"

At this, Persiana got concerned,

"Batman, are you sure you should be doing that? I mean, Nightwing and Batgirl can do the job just as easily."

The Dark Knight was already walking to the Batmobile,

"Are you coming or not?"

Farrah sighed,

"I'm never gonna forgive myself for this."

**Meanwhile in New Jersey… **

Diablos was on his way home. He had had a long day and needed to just have peace and quiet. The red-eyed hero had his mind heavily preoccupied with something at the moment; what Artemis had said. She was convinced that the red-eyed warrior had destroyed her home city. Lance stopped in mid-flight and closed his eyes.

It all came back to him…

**Flashback, thousands of years ago… **

Diablos, dressed in desert robes and carrying a sword at his hip, had just cleared one of the sand dunes. Earlier, he had seen smoke and went to investigate. What he had seen next shocked him.

A brilliant city lay in waste, ruined. Bodies were everywhere, filling the streets and strewn across buildings, temples, and homes. It was difficult to imagine such carnage on the level he saw it, but Diablos was stunned. Never in his life had he seen such a horrific sight.

As Lance went forward, he started looking around the ruins for any survivors. One thing he noticed immediately is that, all the casualties were women. He had heard of such a city, ruled by only women warriors. Whoever did this; did this with such depravity, it made Diablos sick to his stomach. Still, he had to find out if there were survivors.

It was not long until he encountered an odd sight. It was a woman, with jet black hair, and ruby colored eyes. She was holding a rather large scimitar, ornately decorated. It was covered in blood. The woman turned and smiled,

"Hello, Diablos. My name is Hecate. I'm your sister."

Diablos was stunned,

"You murdered these people?"

Hecate shrugged,

"Why? Are you bothered by…them?"

Lance snarled,

"They didn't do anything to deserve this! Many of these women were mothers and sisters to younger children!"  
Hecate rolled her eyes, sarcastically remarking,

"Like we would know what family is, dear brother. They were just as guilty as our parents. You remember them, don't you? They abandoned us!"

Diablos readied his sword,

"They had a good reason to."

The red-eyed scimitar user scoffed,

"You can ask them. Personally, I won't rest until I'm staring at their heads."

With that, she teleported away, leaving Diablos alone. He shook his head,

"I refuse to believe that woman and I are…siblings."

Just then, he heard something. Lance sheathed his sword and walked to the sound.

It was a red-headed child. She was dressed in rags that had been sullied from searching the remains of the city for food and water.

Diablos decided to approach slowly, trying not to startle the little girl.

The red-head was sobbing. She had curled up into a ball and tears ran down her cheeks. She looked up, hearing the sounds of footsteps. The little girl cowered as she saw Diablos extend his hand out,

"It's Ok, I won't hurt you."

The red-headed child tried to flee, but she tripped, catching her foot on a piece of debris. She tripped, and clutched her knee.

Diablos approached her and said,

"Here, let me."

Using his powers, the red-eyed wanderer healed the little girl of her wounds. The red-head looked up and was surprised. She said,

"Why did you do that? Aren't all men evil?"

Lance smirked,

"I guess my eyes do make me kind of evil. My name is Diablos. Do you have a name?"

The red-headed girl nodded,

"Artemis."

**End Flashback, Present Day… **

Dr. Henry Pym was secretly working on a special project of his own. It was not enough that Lex have Ultron as a weapon, the size changing scientist wanted another weapon at his disposal too. He was busy welding.

A purple-haired woman teleported into the room. It was Circe, immortal sorceress who loved to torment Wonder Woman and the Amazons. She had brought her daughter Lyta, who also had purple hair. Lyta scrunched her nose,

"Mommy, why does Unka Hank have to be working?"

Circe picked up her daughter, explaining,

"Uncle Hank wants to work hard for Mommy because Daddy wanted something special."  
Lyta cocked her head in curiosity,

"Like ice cream?"  
Circe laughed,

"Something like that. Speaking of which…"

The sorceress used her powers and conjured up an ice cream cone. Lyta licked her lips,

"Chocolate! Yum!"  
She grabbed the cone and began licking it hungrily.

Hank looked up and watched Lyta. He turned to Circe,

"Cute daughter."  
Circe brushed her hair back,

"Yes, I suppose."  
She asked,

"Is it ready?"  
Hank shook his head,

"I'll need more time, but don't worry; Ares is going to love this."

Circe smirked at the design,

"Well, I do have to admit; it does rival anything Hephesteus could cook up."

She tapped the metal,

"Oh, yeah."

Next Chapter:  
As Batman and Persiana break into Lexcorp, Diablos remembers more of his past on that day.


	16. Chapter 16

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Eve Willows, Hecate, Bast, and Lance Diablos._

Chapter 16: Knowing what we know 

As Persiana and Batman made their way to one of Lex Luthor's business, a feeling of fright came over the were-lioness. Normally, she was not intimidated by anything, but she had seen the horrors Ultron had inflicted in her world, and she was determined not to see that mistake repeated here. Slowly, she watched the Dark Knight carefully scout the place out from one of the rooftops across the building.

Just then, her ears twitched, and she looked out of her peripherals. She tensed and turned, growling low.

A voice smirked,

"Easy, kitty."

It was Nightwing. Batman did not even turn around,

"You're out of practice. I heard you over half a rooftop away. Why are you even here anyway?"  
Farrah looked at Batman,

"I called him, and don't even think about admonishing me for it, or I'll put you back in the infirmary quicker than you can blink."

Her stern gaze made Nightwing wince, while Batman remained stoic. He looked at the feline heroine,

"Let's go."

He launched a grappling hook into the building and seemed to fly as it pulled him. Persiana sighed and, noticing an electric line, somersaulted on top of it and began walking across it on all fours, as if she was still on solid ground.

Nightwing had swung across, but was stunned at the sheer acrobatic prowess the feline feral displayed. He shook his head, smirking,

"You're pretty good."  
Farrah looked at the defender of Bludhaven, smiling sweetly,

"Starfire was right, you are a keeper."

She narrowed her eyes,

"Flirt with me like that again, and I'll tell her about this little exchange. I'd hate to think what she could do to you."

Persiana turned around, looking right into the angry gaze of Batman. She smirked,

"I know I'm attractive and everything, but this isn't the time to be eyeing me."

She ripped the air vent hatch on top of the roof and scurried in. Nightwing looked at his former mentor,

"Did she just stand up to you?"  
Batman only smirked to that response. Grayson groaned,

"I don't know how you put up with her, Bats."

**Meanwhile… **

Diablos was back in his home, sitting in the dark. He was currently reflecting on that day he met his sister. The red-eyed hero still could not get it out of his mind that his own sibling was capable of such an atrocious act of violence.

A raven-haired woman with green feline eyes asked,

"Diablos, are you all right? You barely have spoken to me since your return."

Lance looked up and saw the glowing eyes of his once lover,

"Bast, may I ask you something?"  
The goddess of felines sat next to him, effortlessly navigating the room,

"Of course. You know I am your confidant, always."

The red-eyed teen posed the question,

"Am I responsible for what happened to Artemis, and to everyone that lived in that city?"  
Bast shook her head,

"No. Your sister murdered those women. Only you really know why, and I haven't pried into it because I respected your privacy on the matter."

She surmised,

"You saw Artemis again, didn't you? She was onboard the Watchtower when you were attacked. She thinks you killed her family and friends."

Diablos held his head in his hands,

"Why didn't I fight her? Fight Hecate?"

Bast placed her head on his shoulder,

"Diablos, it was not the time. You will soon, though. I know it."

Diablos looked back,

"What if she kills while I'm waiting? I don't know if I can live with myself if I saw something like that again?"

The goddess tried to soothe him,

"I will help you protect these mortals, Diablos. I won't subject them to anything Hecate wishes to do to them."

**Back at the LexCorp building… **

Persiana, Nightwing, and Batman had already infiltrated the corporate building and were proceeding in the shadows to the terminal that contained the plans for Ultron. Nightwing asked,

"Just how dangerous is this Ultron anyway?"

Persiana peered around a corner, her eyes glowing in the darkness,

"Dangerous. Think Brainiac only more genocidal."

The former acrobat was surprised,

"More? Is that even possible?"  
Batman glared at the two of them,

"Quiet."  
Farrah shrugged,

"Whatever, Bats. I don't smell any-."

Suddenly, her ears twitched. She got on all fours and began sniffing,

"Someone's here."

They all ducked into the shadows as Henry Pym exited a room, carrying a file. Farrah snarled; she still remember that time in the Watchtower, and the lioness would have gladly gutted the scientist like a fish, but that was something she could never forgive herself for if she let her animal side dominate her decision making. (1)  
Still, it was not easy to forget something like that, and Farrah reared her claws, waiting to pounce.

As Hank walked out of sight, Batman went to the door and noticed the electronic lock. He proceeded to pick the lock.

Dick looked at Farrah,

"You recognized that guy that came out of this room. Old friend?"  
The lioness narrowed her eyes,

"He murdered my first boyfriend, and tried to kill me. No, he's not an old friend."

She looked down the hall,

"I need to check something."  
Persiana slinked off into the darkness, just as Batman opened the door. He looked at Nightwing,

"Let's go."

Nightwing asked,

"What about Farrah?"  
The Dark Knight said,

"You follow her. I need to get the plans."

The leader of the Teen Titans nodded and skulked after his companion.

Next Chapter:  
The situation goes critical when an unwelcome visitor steals the War Machine plans. Find out who, next time!

(1) Read Justice League Persiana for more details


	17. Chapter 17

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Bast, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 17: New Problems! 

**Aboard the Watchtower… **

Hawkgirl, Sentry, Wonder Man, Vixen, and Green Lantern were in the infirmary. Although Sentry had received the least damage, he was still being examined.

Dr. Mid-nite shook his head,

"I'm surprised you made it all to safety. I've heard stories about this Mongul character."

Vixen, who had activated her medallion and gained a healing factor, was eyeing Wonder Man,

"Simon, thank you for saving me."

The ionic Avenger smirked,

"No problem, but you could you let go of my arm. I may be made of energy, but I still feel pain."  
The dark-skinned model had snaked her arms and legs around one of Simon's arms. She pouted,

"But you're so warm!"  
Hawkgirl whispered to John,

"Now, I know why you two broke up."

The Green Lantern looked at her evenly,

"Are you done teasing me?"

The avian heroine smirked,

"I'm just getting started."

**Back at the LexCorp building… **

While Batman was getting the plans from the computer, Persiana had gone off and followed Hank Pym down a corridor. She was stalking him, and he had notrealized it yet.

The former Avenger had stopped in front of a vending machine. As he put change in for a candy bar, he looked down the hall, thinking he heard something.

As the candy bar dropped down to be picked up, the size changing scientist shook his head. He had not been getting enough sleep since he started working; mostly on getting back what he thought was rightfully his.

Tigra.

He said to himself,

"I know that Farrah bitch is after her. Why did Tigra take her in the first place? It wasn't like she didn't deserve to be treated that way."

Persiana, overhearing this, snarled. She wanted to gut him like a fish right there and then.

Her ears perked at that moment, and noticed Nightwing standing near her. The former circus acrobat smirked,

"You're good at hiding, Persiana."

The feral scientist was not paying attention. She was more focused on her prey and on following her boyfriend's murderer.

She watched as Hank went off to work on his latest project. Farrah knew she had the speed and stealth ability to pull it off. However, as tempting as it was to slice Yellow Jacket up, she knew better. The lioness had better control over her instincts than anyone else realized.

The two decided to meet back with Batman, and get out of the building, before something else happens.

**In New Jersey… **

Diablos, who was still sitting in the dark, was thinking. Bast had gone out for the evening, so he was all alone. He asked her to go. The red-eyed hero needed to collect his thoughts on all of this.

**Flashback… **

The red-eyed wanderer and Artemis were camped out in the desert. Lance had given some water to the child Artemis and she was sound asleep. The poor girl was completely exhausted.

Diablos shook his head, thinking to himself,

_What type of person is so cruel that they would orphan a child like her? _

Lance looked at the child Artemis again, and could swear she was crying. She whimpered,

"Mommy, sisters."

**Present Day… **

Just then, a loud telepathic broadcast interrupted his train of thought. He gasped,

"No, they're in danger."

He teleported to Metropolis.

**Meanwhile… **

Hank Pym was finishing the work on his latest project for Lex when something rattled behind him. The scientist turned around and found himself staring a scary clown face in a purple suit. Yellow Jacket shouted,

"AAHH!"  
He was staring at the Joker.

Joker smiled,

"Hey, Hanky! How ya doin'?"  
Dr. Pym looked at the madman,

"What are you doing here?"  
Joker smirked,

"What? I break out of Arkham, and I can't visit my old friend? Do you remember the fun we used to have, me spraying you with a seltzer bottle, then having tea with Mad Hatter and Penguin?"

He nudged him,

"By the way, I heard Scarface was complaining about termites. That wasn't your buddies, right, Ant-boy?"

Hank swallowed nervously,

"How did you get in here?"

Joker shook his head,

"Like any normal person, or a semi-sane person would; through the front door!"  
Hank looked behind he maniacal villain and noticed the wall had been corroded with acid. Behind it were two dead guards.

Yellow Jacket was stunned,

"You killed them?"

Joker shrugged,

"Well, who can hire good help these days in this economy? Besides, I always liked to make an entrance."

He looked at the silver armor,

"OOOOHHHH! Pretty! I admit, the color scheme doesn't go well. I'll have to talk to my tailor."

Hank was near panicking,

"Joker, that is a very dangerous weapon. The firepower on this thing could destroy several small countries!"

Joker clapped his hands in delight,

"A new toy to play with! And it isn't even my birthday!"

He spun around and said,

"Thanks for the gift, pal!"

The Joker pressed the carnation on his suit. It emitted a knockout gas, rendering Hank Pym unconscious. The psychotic madman then turned to the armor,

"Well, I need to come up with a better color scheme. Gray is so last year!"  
He pulled out a bucket of purple paint and began painting the armor.

When he was done, the armor looked like him, complete with maniacal grin. Joker put on a gauntlet,

"Now, how does this work?"  
He pressed a button on it. The armor itself began to hover around him and bond to him. In moments, the armored suit was fully integrated. Joker looked in the mirror,

"Well, look at this! I'm dressed for success! HAHHAHAHHAH! Now, how do I work this thing?"  
Suddenly, he found himself activating the jet boosters in the legs. He flew so high and so fast, he crashed through the ceiling and into the sky. The Joker's maniacal laughter echoed for miles.

Joker tuned into the scanners and said,

"Well, what have we here? A bat, a cat, and a boy! Well, might as well give this thing a good test drive!"

**Near the building… **

Batman, Nightwing, and Persiana were outside, getting ready to leave and analyze the information when they saw the Joker-painted War Machine flying at them. Persiana swallowed,

"Oh, crap! It's War Machine!"  
She tilted her head,

"Why is it painted purple?"

Batman and Nightwing launched several Batarangs, but they all seemingly bounced off. The Joker cackled,

"Hey, Batsy! You're not the only one with toys!"

Two shoulder mounted rocket launches appeared and opened fire. The three heroes split off in all different directions. Farrah shook her head,

"Never mind, I already know."

Next Chapter:

Breaking the War Machine


	18. Chapter 18

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 18: Developments 

Persiana, Batman, and Nightwing had found War Machine, or rather, War Machine found them. Piloted by the maddened Joker, the three heroes were doing their best to outsmart and mount an offense, but it was difficult considering none of them had anywhere near the power to fight the thing. All they could do was dodge its attacks.

Persiana flipped to a spot Nightwing was perched on. She shook her head,

"This is bad. War Machine has a payload bigger than several small countries."  
The former Boy Wonder groaned,

"You mean this thing can fight us for hours!"  
The lioness shrugged,

"Perhaps days."

Batman flipped up to meet them,

"We need back up."

Joker found them and said,

"Ooh! Heat-seeking rockets!"  
He fired about a dozen of them at the three heroes.

Just then, the rockets exploded. Everyone looked and saw Diablos, sword drawn. He had sliced the rockets at astonishing speed. The red-eyed hero called out,

"You all right?"

Persiana smiled,

"We are now, love."

The Joker cackled,

"All right, now I'm mad!"

The Gotham villain activated a rocket launcher on either hip of the War Machine armor. He fired the rockets at the demonic-inspired hero. Diablos erected a telekinetic barrier, the rockets exploding off of his barrier. However, the force of the explosions knocked him back into a building. Joker laughed evilly and turned his attention back to Batman and company. He shouted,

"Hey, Batsy! Here's something for ya!"

He fired two lasers from his hands. The blast caused the three to scatter to different parts of the sky line.

It was not until Superman and Flash arrived that the battle started to turn. The Fastest Man Alive distracted the armor while the Man of Steel barreled in with a hard punch. The War Machine armor was sent sailing into an abandoned building.

However, despite that, the War Machine was still up, and it was still going strong. The Joker looked at the armor,

"Oh, look at what you did. You scratched my paint job!"  
Farrah retorted,

"I'm sure the insurance company will pay for it!"  
Nightwing asked,

"Do you really have to provoke him?"

The furry heroine nodded,

"Of course. I'm a cat. It's what I do. Oh, and I would get out of the way if I were you."

Just then, the Dark Knight saw the turbine on one of the machine guns and he, Nightwing, and Persiana all got out of the way, just barely dodging a salvo of bullets.

Superman rushed in and launched a heat vision attack, but at the last minute, the War Machine armor erected a force field, repelling the attack. It then countered with a war head. Although it did not hurt the Man of Steel, he did feel it as he went sailing into a building.

Joker looked around,

"Now, where were we?"

He extended his arms out and launched two energy spheres, one from each gauntlet-covered hand. Persiana and Nightwing did their best to dodge them, but, because of the lioness' leg muscles, she leapt higher, hitting her head on an exposed wooden beam. She groaned and clutched her head as she started to fall down. Nightwing launched a grappling hook and swung up to catch her. The furry heroine smiled weakly,

"My hero."

Nightwing smirked,

"No thanks, I'm highly spoken for. Kory would kill me if she saw me with another woman."

Farrah chuckled at that as the two were perched on a ledge on another building.

Batman had gone to check up on Superman. The Man of Steel shook his head,

"My ears are going to be ringing in the morning after all this is said and done."

The Dark Knight remained stoic and, turning around, threw a flash bang grenade at the War Machine armor, hoping to slow it down for a few seconds. Bruce said,

"We need to find a way to deactivate it. Any ideas?"

Persiana, radioing in, got an idea,

"Go for the chest plate."

Batman responded,

"The chest plate?"

The lioness explained,

"Yeah, I heard Stark say once that the chest plate was always a hard area to protect, and it was usually vulnerable to a concentrated attack. But, with that force field up, we can't get to it."

Batman radioed the others,

"Everyone, find a way to deactivate the force field and go for the chest plate. That seems to be a weak spot."

Diablos radioed in,

"I can try to drain it off."

He barreled in hard and touched the force field, draining it of its power. However, he had to get out quickly, as Joker attempted to fire a beam from his chest. It missed the red-eyed hero, but he radioed it in,

"Joker's got some kind of beam on his chest plate. I don't know what it does, but I definitely do not want to get hit by it."

The Fastest Man Alive nodded,

"Copy that."

Flash created a wind storm, hoping to blind the sensors of the weaponized armor. This only encouraged Joker to launch every weapon at once.

Missiles; grenades, bullets; nothing was off limits. The League noticed all the stray missiles heading in all different directions, including the heart of Metropolis. Superman ordered,

"Stop those missiles!"  
Diablos got on it, but the madman Joker cackled,

"Not today!"

He opened fire with a chest laser, piercing the red-eyed hero's back. Diablos' heart stopped beating and he began falling to the ground at incredible speed.

Persiana shouted,

"NOOO!"  
She raced as fast as she could on all fours after him. Pushing her speed to the very limit, she jumped into the air and managed to catch her boyfriend. He was conscious and still breathing.

The white lioness rolled him over and examined the wound,

"Lance, nothing serious has been damaged, but you need to get to the Watchtower."

Lance shook his head,

"No, I need to help here."

The missiles were heading for the center of Metropolis.

Suddenly, they all exploded at once. Everyone looked up and saw a red-head with a long ponytail, wielding a sword and carrying a bow on her chest. It was Artemis, the Amazon warrior.

Artemis shouted,

"DIE!"  
She whipped out her bow and launched an arrow, penetrating the armor. The War Machine armor started coughing up smoke and Joker whistled,

"Well, I didn't expect the show to end so soon. Lexie isn't going to like you broke his new toy!"  
With that, the armor exploded. Pieces of it were sent scattering all over the place.

Superman hovered near the bow user,

"Thank you, Artemis."

Artemis scowled,

"You will address me as Wonder Woman, male."  
At this, everyone was surprised. Especially Persiana. She shouted,

"Diana's Wonder Woman, not you!"

"No, it is true."

Everyone turned and saw Diana, in plain clothes. She said sadly,

"Artemis won the contest. She is the new Wonder Woman."

Next Chapter:

The rest of the League reacts to Artemis becoming the new Wonder Woman. Can you say Artemis Torture?


	19. Chapter 19

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Bast, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 19: Wonderful Wonder Women 

The Justice League was now back in the Watchtower. Diablos had used his powers and healed his wounds. However, he was still weak. Persiana would have insisted on her boyfriend getting rest. Right now, she was venting her frustrations on Artemis, who claimed to be the new Wonder Woman, a title Diana previously held.

Persiana got in Artemis' face,

"You are not Wonder Woman."  
The red-headed bow slinger growled back,

"Silence, creature, or I will put you in a cage. I am the rightful holder of the title of Wonder Woman; warrior for women and messenger of peace. I won the Contest of Amazons."  
Persiana roared,

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU WON THE FREAKIN' NOBEL PRIZE! YOU ARE NOT WONDER WOMAN!"  
Her voice echoed loudly throughout the tower, so everyone heard it. Especially the Avengers.

Tigra shook her head,

"Little sis is taking this well."  
Wonder Man nodded,

"Yeah. Farrah can be very vocal when she doesn't like something."

Miss Marvel folded her arms,

"How long do you think it'll be before they throw down?"

The were-tigress thought out loud,

"Ten seconds. Five if Artemis touches her."

The red-head pushed Persiana out of the way. This made the were-lioness shriek in fury and tackled the Amazon warrior, a brawl breaking out.

Flash had run to his room and gotten a video camera. Diablos rolled his eyes,

"I somehow expected this."  
He then remembered something…

**Flashback… **

Diablos and the child Artemis were walking in the desert. They had reached one of Bast's temples in the area.

Not too far away, Bast was lounging in the hot sun, surrounded by some of her servants. They all had the bodies of women and the heads of felines, like Bast herself, but they were all different species of cat, and no one had the form of the lioness deity.

They were practicing combat drills and sword play when the leonine goddess sniffed a familiar scent. She ordered,

"Halt. Diablos has returned."

Instantly, the servants went inside the temple, preparing the halls.

The red-eyed wanderer had the child Artemis in his arms as he walked up to his lover,

"Bast, this child needs help."

Bast, noticing the orphan, immediately called two servants. Both of them took the child inside the temple to get her cleaned up and fed.

Bast looked back,

"Who is that child?"

Diablos explained,

"The city she is from was devastated. She was the only survivor."  
One of the servants came up to Bast, bowed respectfully to both of them, and whispered something to her master. Bast nodded,

"See to her every need."  
**End Flashback… **

"Hey, Lance."

The red-eyed hero shook his head,

"What?"

Flash smirked,

"Enjoying the fight?"

The demonic hero turned to Persiana and Artemis, who were separated at this time, but still wanted to shred each other to pieces. A small clump of Artemis' hair was in Persiana's hand and she was taunting her with it. The Fastest Man Alive shook his head,

"How did the Avengers put up with her?"

Lance answered,

"It's a pride mentality. Her feline form is that of a lioness, so she has a loyalty complex. She's looking out for her pride, which she considers her family. Artemis, to Farrah, is a threat to that family. Actually, Persiana is quite harmless."

In the next room, Hawkgirl screamed,

"SHE BIT MY WING! DIE!"  
John's voice called out,

"SHAYERA, DON'T USE THAT MACE! I MEAN IT!"  
Flash looked at Diablos,

"Harmless?"

Diablos shrugged,

"What?"

Flash shook his head,

"And people say Bats is creepy."

By this time, Persiana and Artemis were catching their breath, but their gazes locked on to each other. Both of these women were clearly not liking each other already. Superman had called order,

"Look, I know this is a big shock for all of us…"  
He looked at Artemis,

"Persiana is one of our teammates. She does tend to get a little overprotective-."

Miss Marvel laughed,

"A little?"

Superman glared at the blonde Air Force Major, then continued,

"Artemis, Persiana is only looking out for Diana."

He then looked at the lioness,

"Persiana, Artemis did win the Contest. I know we're all accustomed to see Diana as Wonder Woman, but that is no longer the case."

The were-feline growled under her breath, but an evil smile graced her lips. She said,

"Ok, J'onn, let me go."

The Martian Manhunter did so and Persiana said,

"So, Artemis, tell me. Does being a bitch come with the Wonder Woman title, or do you add that yourself?"

Artemis' eyes widened and she shouted,

"YOU STUPID ANIMAL! GET OVER HERE SO I CAN SKIN YOU ALIVE!"  
Persiana danced around, taunting the red-headed Amazon. Finally, she stood still and got serious. The lioness growled,

"I have some advice for you, lady. With great power, there must come great responsibility. I hope you're able to learn what that means."

She huffed and stormed away.

Diana was surprised,

"Insightful."

Tigra grinned,

"I knew she'd use that line at some point. Thanks, Spider-man."

Artemis was released as soon as Persiana was out of sight. She looked at Diablos, scowling,

"Demon, I know you had something to do with this. I will slice her for this."  
Diablos took his glasses off and walked right up to Artemis. He stared right in her eyes and said,

"If you do anything to hurt her and I find out about it, I promise you, your tenure as Wonder Woman will be the shortest on record. Am I making myself clear?"

His eyes were glowing red, and he clearly was not going to stand for anything. Artemis glared back,

"I am not afraid of you, male."  
Lance still remained stoic,

"Then take your best shot at me. Right now."

He was not going to back down, not after this.  
Artemis rolled her fist up. She did not like Diablos; that much was certain. What was worse, for Artemis, was that this 'demon' as she so put it, was defending an animal. She narrowed her eyes,

"Next time, demon. Next time."

She walked by, brushing up against him violently. She was muttering some choice phrases as she did.  
When she was gone, Diana looked at Lance,

"No man has ever stood up to Artemis like that."  
Miss Marvel smirked,

"And I say Persiana has a death wish. You make her look tame."

Diablos was not paying attention. He knew this was far from over.

**Two days later… **

After being inducted into the Justice League, Artemis was getting ready to fulfill her duties as both Wonder Woman and as a member of the Justice League. Diana had explained that Man's World was very different from what they remembered, but the red-headed Amazon was not going to listen. She had a duty to perform, which was to help women break free from the tyrannical male dominance. Not only that, but she also had to spread peace and educate the people of Man's World. She reasoned the second goal was not as important and proceeded with the first. As she woke up in her bed on the Tower, she made her way to the shower and turned on the hot water. She did admit quietly to herself that it was a marvel that such wonders did exist, and that water was never in short supply.

As she showered, she changed into her costume, which was effectively Diana's costume.

When Artemis emerged from her room, Diana was standing outside. The red-headed Wonder Woman scowled,

"What are you doing here?"

Diana shook her head,

"Sister, we should talk about what has happened."

Artemis rolled her eyes,

"Is this about that animal you let out of its cage?"

The raven-haired princess shook her head,

"It's more than that, and that animal is my friend, as well as everyone I work with here."

Artemis folded her arms,

"Oh really? A proud Amazon warrior, in the company of men? You disgust me, sister."

Diana sighed,

"Artemis, I have known them longer than you have. These men are not the same as the men that we were told about."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. Diana blinked,

"OK, so maybe Flash might be a bit shameless-."

Artemis scoffed,

"A bit, sister?"

The former Wonder Woman sighed,

"All right, he is shameless, but that doesn't make him a bad person, Artemis."

Artemis waved off,

"Diana, I won the contest of champions. I don't expect a disgraced warrior like you to fully understand what I'm doing. I will perform the duties you failed to do, and I will do them better than you ever could."

She walked off. Wonder Girl was walking by to meet her sister when Artemis looked at the princess,

"As for you; keep your animal in its cage."

Wonder Girl snarled back as she saw Artemis walk down the hall. Things were going to get very interesting from now on…

Next Chapter:

Persiana and Wonder Girl help Diana with a new costume and another catfight!


	20. Chapter 20

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 20: A Brand New Diana! 

**Flashback… **

Artemis, in front of the queen and the gathered Amazons, pointed angrily at Diana,

"Sisters, Diana has failed to fulfill her duty as a messenger of peace. She has fraternized with men, abandoning her duty as Themysciria's champion!"

Diana saw the stares many of the other female warriors were giving her. Donna protested,

"Diana has done nothing but good things for Man's World! I have been introduced to Man's World, and she has been working hard to bring peace."

The red-headed scowled,

"Words from an immature child will not sway the decision that has been made."  
Hyppolyta said evenly,

"How do all of you feel about this?"

Many Amazons seemed to agree with Artemis. Although Diana was a skilled warrior, Artemis' argument could not be dismissed. The queen finally declared,

"Let the contest begin!"

**At present… **

Diana was in her bed, sighing. Since having lost the title of Wonder Woman, the Amazon warrior was lost in her thoughts. Did she truly fail in her duties? Her title has been taken, and the Amazon warrior truly felt alone. She sighed as she remembered how Artemis was introduced into the League. The red-head knew nothing of Man's World, yet, whenever Diana tried to explain something to her, Artemis dismissed it.

"Lonely?"

Diana turned suddenly and saw Batman standing in the darkness. The Amazon warrior sighed,

"Bruce, what are you doing here?"

Batman looked at her,

"I came to talk to you."

The raven-haired fighter was now even more surprised,

"Bruce, are you all right?"

Bruce sat down next to her and said,

"I can imagine you're feeling hurt. Having everything taken away from you; family, honor, hope."

Diana shook her head,

"To be honest, Batman, I am feeling…saddened. As an Amazon, I am grateful to return to Theymisciria, but, I have lost the title of Wonder Woman."

Batman took her hand,

"It still does not make you any less of a hero or person, Diana. You still have your powers and your life to do what you want to. You're also a member of this team, and… to be honest, Diana…I can't think of any other woman I would rather fall in love with."  
At this, Diana looked at him, and turned away. Tears were welling up in the warrior's face as she tried to compose herself.

Bruce put his hand on her shoulder,

"Diana, is something wrong?"

Diana turned and planted a passionate kiss on Bruce's lips. The Dark Knight returned it, full on.

Just then, Persiana and Donna burst in the room. Both of them had an idea, and were giggling like school girls. Farrah said,

"I have got the best idea, Diana, and-."  
She looked and saw the two kissing. She squealed, much to the displeasure of Diana and Bruce.

Batman growled,

"What do you want?"  
Diana darkly added,

"We were having a moment."

Farrah shrugged,

"Sorry, Di. Anyway, Donna and I just came up with this awesome new idea. What if you wore…THIS?"

Donna pulled out several items. Diana and Bruce were in shock as to the idea. Secretly, though, the Dark Knight loved it.

Diana asked,

"You want me to wear THIS? Are you two insane?"

Wonder Girl smirked,

"Come now, sister. Farrah and I have discussed it, and I think it would look good on you."

Diana rolled her eyes,

"If I wear this, I will never be able to live it down, you know that, right?"

Persiana grinned,

"If guys won't leave you alone, kick their ass! That is what Amazons do, right?"

The former Wonder Woman groaned,

"Let me try it on…"  
**Meanwhile, in another part of the tower… **

Artemis was wandering the Watchtower. She was eager to get to Man's World below and start her mission. As she walked by, she noticed Tigra walking by, smiling. The new Wonder Woman turned and scowled,

"Harlot."

The were-tigress' senses picked this up. She turned,

"Excuse me?"  
Artemis folded her arms,

"I don't expect an animal like you to understand this, but seeing you walk around in your…attire…gives men the impression you want to be taken advantage of."  
Tigra narrowed her eyes,

"Look, lady. I thought like you, until I got shot and turned into a tiger. What I wear is my business, not yours."

Artemis raised her voice,

"It's demeaning for a woman and a warrior. You obviously have no idea what it is like to be either."

Greer snarled; she really did not like where this was going.

Blue Beetle came around the corner and saw the two arguing. He decided to wait until it cleared up, or step in if it got ugly.

Artemis smugly remarked,

"Tell me; if I talk to every man on this station, will they say they slept with you?"

The cerulean insect hero had heard enough. He stormed up to Artemis,

"Hey, that's not very nice."

Tigra was surprised,

"Ted?"

Artemis spun around and stared down over the scientist,

"And what are you supposed to be, little man?"  
Ted took his goggles off and said,

"I don't know what your problem is, but Greer is a nice lady and is willing to fight for what she believes in. She's also a bright, happy young woman, and I couldn't care less what she's wearing."

At this, Artemis scoffed,

"Liar. All men look at her and see an easy mark. If she were more decent, maybe."

Blue Beetle growled under his breath; even though he did not want to hit a lady, the red-headed bow wielder was very close to being the exception to the rule.

Tigra was amazed that Ted was standing up to the Amazon warrior, especially when he had no powers at all.

Blue Beetle shook his head,

"Artemis, leave her alone."

Artemis let her temper get the better of her at this point. She roared with fury and batted Ted away with a powerful blow. Beetle went sailing.

Tigra pounced on Artemis,

"DIE!"  
A brawl broke out.

**Inside the cafeteria… **

Blue Beetle's closest friends Fire, Ice, Booster Gold, and Guy Gardner were having a bite to eat before leaving on separate assignments. Bea sighed,

"Where's Ted? I really want to take him to Brazil."

Ice comforted her friend,

"It's all right. I'm sure he's on his way."

Michael snickered,

"On his way to sleepin' with Tigra."  
Fire scowled and slapped the hero from the future upside the head,

"Quiet, you!"  
Guy shook his head,

"How does a guy like Ted end up with a woman like Tigra? I have to ask him when he gets here."

No sooner did he finish, than Blue Beetle came crashing through the cafeteria door way, landing right at the table of the other Super-buddies. Tora was horrified,

"Ted!"  
Beetle was bleeding from his lips, and he held his chest. Something was broken, and he laid down in pain. He feebly said,

"Ar…tem…is…"

Fire turned into her fiery form,

"SHE'S DEAD!"  
She raced out in a streak of green flame, the others following behind.

Tigra had wrapped herself around Artemis' body and was trying to eviscerate her. However, the Amazon was far stronger and tried to break the hold. Tigra roared with aggression and, suddenly, found herself thrown across the hall. She landed on her feet and braced for another pounce.

Just then, a raging green flame streak shot down the hall. It was Bea and she was furious. She roared,

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY TED, WITCH!"  
She unleashed a furious fire attack, enough to make Tigra jump in the air vents.

Artemis shielded herself with her arms, but that did little to quell the situation. Bea pounced and shouted,

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, HURTING TED?! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE HERE!"  
The new Wonder Woman slammed her fist hard into Fire's stomach, causing the supermodel to collapse in pain, de-powering her.

Just then, the bow slinger found herself encased in ice. Tora sighed with relief.

Flash came by and heard the commotion,

"What happened?"

He noticed Artemis' imprisonment and whistled,

"Who brought the ice queen?"

Tigra emerged from the vents,

"Artemis the bitch queen insulted me and attacked Ted when he stood up for me!"  
The Scarlet Speedster was surprised,

"Oh, man. I knew this was a bad idea letting her on."

Greer looked at them,

"Well, I should go check on Ted."

Booster picked up Fire,

"Let's get Bea to the infirmary."

As they were leaving, the ice started to shake, and, in a moment, Artemis was free. She was upset and enraged. She roared,

"NONE OF YOU WILL LEAVE HERE ALIVE!"  
She charged in, but found something leveling her flat.

The Super-buddies, Tigra, and Flash all turned and were slack-jawed.

Diana was dressed up in a costume similar to her role as Wonder Woman, only instead of red, it was green. She also had a leather jacket on and had ditched the tiara. Her hands were now gloved, but she did have her bracelets exposed. She narrowed her eyes,

"What is going on here?"

Next Chapter:  
More Wackiness from Artemis.


	21. Chapter 21

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 21: Out of Control 

Blue Beetle and Fire were both lying in the infirmary at the Watchtower. Flash had not left Fire's side. Neither did Tigra leave Ted's side. The were-tigress smiled as Ted sat up,

"You're all right."

Ted nodded, rubbing his shoulder,

"I've had worse, but luckily it was a couple of bumps and bruises. Bea's had it much worse."

Bea had her stomach taped. Dr. Mid-nite said,

"You will need to be on medical leave for a while. That punch almost shattered your entire rib cage."

The fire-powered model scowled,

"As long as Artemis is drawing oxygen, I won't rest."  
Flash took her hand,

"Calm down, Bea. You'll agitate your injuries again."

She did just that; she clutched her stomach and winced in pain.

Tigra whispered to Blue Beetle,

"Come by my room later. I want to give you something."

She planed a gentle peck on his cheek and walked out of the infirmary, her tail whisking in delight.

Just then, Diablos walked in. He had brought a dozen white lilies and gave them to Bea,

"I hope you get better, Bea."

The Brazilian model smiled,

"Thank you."

The red-eyed hero waited a moment before sheepishly remarking,

"Uh, I know that this may not be the time, but since the Super-buddies are going to be one short for a while, I brought someone with me that can help you with your ranks."

Guy scoffed,

"We don't need a stinkin' replacement. Bea will be on her feet in no time."  
Tora thought for a moment,

"I agree with Guy, but it doesn't mean we don't have to include him."

Diablos corrected her,

"It's a woman. More specifically, a teen."

The door slid open again, revealing a brown haired teenager. She had a costume similar to Captain Marvel, only she had a skirt. Diablos said,

"Everyone, this is Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel's sister."

Mary waved,

"Hi."

Tora approached and greeted her warmly,

"My name is Tora, but everyone calls me Ice."

The two shook hands.

Booster looked at the red-eyed hero,

"A kid? You want us to take aboard a kid?"  
Lance smirked,

"She has all of Captain Marvel's powers. Besides, it would be great for the Super-Buddies to have a powerhouse on their team. Right?"

Blue Beetle nodded,

"Michael, be nice to the young lady. She can be a temporary replacement until Fire gets back to active duty."  
The supermodel groaned,

"I can't believe I'm being replaced by a child."

Mary lowered her head to the floor, feeling like she did something bad. Tora tried to reassure her,

"It's all right. Everyone's just a little tense right now with Artemis in the League."

**At that precise moment… **

Because of the new Wonder Woman's reckless conduct, she was summoned to the meeting room with the seven founding members of the Justice League. The Avengers were also present, as well as Persiana. She was very upset and snarled,

"It was bad enough you took Diana's title, but to attack my friends...I'm five seconds away from chopping you up and sending you back to Themysciria."

Artemis looked at the lioness and spat in her face. At this, Persiana roared,

"LET ME AT HER!"  
She was being restrained by both Sentry and Wonder Man, but Farrah had a wiry type of strength. She could slip out at any moment, which is why the two strong heroes had to work quickly.

Miss Marvel folded her arms, addressing Artemis,

"Look, lady. You may not be accustomed to the goings on here, but some people wear things that others have to do a double take on. So Tigra runs around in a bikini. She can count on me and I can count on her to watch our backs in a fight. I may not agree with everything she does, especially when it concerns her…"  
She pointed with a jerk of her thumb to Farrah,

"…God knows why those two are best friends, but Tigra's my teammate, and my friend."

Artemis rolled her eyes,

"Typical. You have been in Man's World your whole life. It has made you weak."

At this, the former Air Force Major raised her eyebrows in surprise,

"Excuse me? Weak? Lady, I'm a lot stronger than you realize."

The red-head scoffed,

"Diana told me the stories of you, and how your leader Captain America was murdered. If you ask me, he got what he deserved."  
At this, the former Avengers all looked at her, angry. Persiana growled,

"Take that back."

Artemis shook her head,

"Make me."

Miss Marvel cracked her knuckles,

"Gladly."  
She tackled and a brawl broke out.

Superman rubbed the bridge of his nose,

"Did we need this now?"

Flash had a camera and rolling film, watching the ensuing brawl.

Miss Marvel punched Artemis in the jaw, to which the Amazon kicked the half-Kree soldier in the mouth. The two then rolled around, yanking on each other's hair, shouting various curses.

Superman finally bellowed,

"ENOUGH!"  
Everyone was somewhat surprised that the Man of Steel could yell. Then again, this was a guy who can blow storm clouds with his breath.

Miss Marvel and Artemis were separated by Sentry, Wonder Man, Diana, and Hawkgirl. Green Lantern said,

"Artemis, you may be the new Wonder Woman, but you have a lot to learn about respecting the views of others."

Artemis narrowed her eyes,

"Are you telling me to do something, male?"

Hawkgirl looked at the red-head,

"Look, one woman to another; I like girl power, but I'm not going to force it down everyone's throat. Even Diana knew better."

Artemis looked at Diana's costume,

"Look at her. Diana is no longer Wonder Woman. She is a disgraced, weak warrior."

Persiana's mood darkened,

"No, you're wrong."  
Artemis shook her head,

"And what would an animal like you know about being strong?"

The lioness looked up,

"Because strength is born from the mind, not in pressing a two-ton car. Cap told Tigra that, and she told me that."

She got close to Artemis,

"Cap didn't have any of your abilities, yet he was one of the strongest people I will ever meet."

Artemis smirked,

"If he were so strong, how is it he is dead?"

At this, Diana socked a punch so hard on the red-headed Wonder Woman, she fell unconscious.

The League could not help but smile; even Batman had enjoyed that. Farrah grinned,

"Nice uppercut, Di."

Diana rubbed her hand,

"I always hated her."

Carol smirked,

"If you weren't going to do it, I think we would have."

She looked at raven-haired Amazon,

"By the way, nice costume."

Diana shrugged,

"I'm thinking about wearing it more often."

Batman said,

"Please do."

Everyone looked at Batman for that one, especially Wonder Woman. J'onn, deciding to change the subject, asked,

"What do we do now?"

Batman tapped his fingers on the desk, then said,

"I want Diablos here. Now."

**Meanwhile… **

"WHAT!?"  
Lex Luthor slammed his fists on the desk, furious,

"How did the Joker get his hands on the War Machine? I had a buyer lined up for it!"  
Circe shook her head,

"Hey, Lex. I'm just the messenger. Besides, with that Ultron robot tending to him, Hank won't be making anything for a while."

The bald industrialist shook his head, then started laughing,

"On second thought, this is perfect! Joker got to test pilot it and test out all the bugs. The next War Machine would be bigger and better than before!"

The immortal sorceress shook his head,

"Whatever, Lex."

She grumbled,

"Somebody forgot to give him his medicine."  
**In Yellow Jacket's lab… **

Henry Pym was lying down on a bed, his Ultron robot at his side. The automaton asked,

"Creator, are you functioning properly?"

Henry shook his head,

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He started to walk when he faltered and landed on the floor. Ultron came to his aid,

"Creator, you must rest so your repair systems can assist you."

Hank smirked,

"You're just as bad as Tigra."

Ultron looked at him quizzically,

"Tigra is creator's mate?"

Hank laid back down,

"Was, Ultron, but I really do miss her sometimes."

He laid back down and fell asleep.

Ultron walked away and went into another room. He turned on a monitor and learned everything he could about Yellow Jacket's mate. The android began absorbing all this information…

**Back in the Watchtower… **

Ted had decided to take Tigra up on her invitation. He was walking to her quarters, with a dozen flowers, and knocked on the door. A throaty purr answered,

"Come in, Ted."  
Blue Beetle was a bit surprised, but figured it was because of her heightened senses. He walked in and saw Tigra standing, wearing a skimpy silk black robe. She growled,

"Hello, hero."

She tip-toed to him and took the flowers, sniffing them in delight,

"Tiger lilies. My favorite."

The scientific genius smiled,

"I kind of had to pay you back for staying near me."

Greer grinned,

"Actually, that's why I want you here; for me to pay you back."

She dropped the robe, revealing her long, supple frame. Ted was stunned,

"Greer, I-."

The tigress put the lilies to the side and quickly brushed up against him,

"You are a real gentleman, and I want to show you how grateful I am for saving me."

She intertwined her legs around Ted's waist and passionately kissed him. Ted made his way to the bed and sat down, the were-feline heroine pushing him down aggressively. Ted was amazed,

"Wow."

Tigra whispered huskily,

"I'm only getting started."

Next Chapter:

A surprise revelation.


	22. Chapter 22

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Bast, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 22: Truth is What You Make of It 

Diablos teleported into the meeting room with the Big Seven were in a heated discussion about Artemis, the new Wonder Woman. Artemis was being held back by the Avengers, even though all of them were sorely tempted to just find out the limits of an Amazon's strength and how quickly it could diminish. The red-eyed hero looked at everyone and shrugged,

"I see civility is not in short supply around here."

Artemis snarled,

"YOU! You murdered my sisters! I should rip your head off!"  
Diana shook her head,

"Artemis, we have been over this. Diablos could not have-."  
The red-eyed hero took his glasses off,

"Yeah, I have."

At this, everyone looked at the demonic-inspired hero. He said,

"Let me first say that Batman didn't have to tell Farrah to do any snooping on me. All he had to do was ask. I would have told him everything."

Tigra and Farrah were told by Bast that Diablos was an immortal; that he had been alive for four thousand years. The goddess of felines also explained that she and the red-eyed youth had a long, romantic history together. That made Persiana a little uncomfortable, and somewhat jealous. (1)

Diablos looked to the Dark Knight,

"You were right. I was lying. I have seen Artemis before, as a child."

Lance explained everything, about the Amazon city being destroyed, about how he had found Artemis, orphaned and alone, and how he and Bast tried to do everything they could to find other Amazons in the hope that Artemis could at least get some familiarity back in her life. He did not tell them who did it, however.

When he finished his tale, everyone was shocked. Especially the red-headed Wonder Woman. She clenched her fist in anger,

"Do you expect me to believe a word that comes out of your mouth, demon? You're forgetting the most important part; why? Why was MY home destroyed?"

Lance shook his head,

"I don't know. Believe me, I would tell you if I knew."

Farrah shook her head, surprised,

"And you never told anyone this?"

Lance nodded,

"Bast was the first person that knew about it. She told you, and now, I tell all of you what happened."

Diana was surprised,

"It's hard to believe an entire ancient city of Amazon warriors could be wiped out so quickly."

Diablos looked at the raven-haired warrior,

"Would you believe it was done by one person?"  
The League and the Avengers were stunned. Miss Marvel swallowed,

"One person did all that?"

Artemis sneered,

"It was you, wasn't it?!"

Lance folded his arms,

"As strong as I am, what possible reason would I have of destroying a city, and leaving a witness behind? Believe what you want about me, but I didn't do it."

Batman looked at J'onn,

"Is he telling the truth?"  
The Martian tried to scan the red-eyed immortal's mind, but shook his head,

"I do not sense deception, but I am sensing a substantial amount of telepathic static."

Diablos shook his head,

"I think my word should be good enough and you don't have to snoop around my head to find the answers you want."

He looked at everyone,

"The reason I didn't come forward with this was because you would think I had something to do with it. Trust me; it wasn't easy for me to come forward with this information."

He could pick up on a few thoughts. Many were surprised by what he was saying, but Artemis had already made up her mind. She was going to avenge her sisters' murders, and she could care less if Diablos was innocent or guilty.

Batman finally said,

"Why should we believe you?"

Diablos shook his head,

"It's your choice. Personally, if I wanted to, don't you think I would have made Artemis forget who I was?"

**Meanwhile… **

While Hank was asleep, Ultron was busy in the lab, gathering information. Having compiled every bit of information possible, the android was hard at work, creating something underneath the sheet. He looked,

"I know the creator will like this. He has to."  
Assembling some more metal implements, the android looked at the figures and nodded,

"All I need now is Tigra. Creator will be so pleased with my creation."

"Working on something?"

Ultron turned and noticed Circe smiling. She looked over,

"Can I see?"

Ultron shook his head,

"I cannot, miss. I am currently working on this project for Creator."

The immortal sorceress narrowed her eyes, but still kept her smile,

"Very well. I was wondering if you wanted some help."

The android looked at Circe,

"What type of assistance is Circe providing?"

Circe grinned,

"Some things need a woman's touch. Let me help you get what you seek."

Ultron thought to himself for a moment. He wanted to please Creator, but he did not trust Circe. He asked again,

"Will Creator be grateful for your assistance?"

Circe nodded,

"Absolutely."  
Ultron nodded,

"Then, I accept your assistance."

Next Chapter:  
A dinner date turns disastrous when some unwelcome guests arrive.

(1) This happened during Titans East


	23. Chapter 23

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 23: Sating passion

Tigra and Blue Beetle were resting comfortably in the tigress' room. Ted sleepily opened his eyes and looked around the room.

Despite being in the Watchtower, Tigra had managed to convert her room to her more…animal…side. It looked like a jungle. Somehow, the genius inventor could see the flowers he had brought in. They were resting know in a vase filled with water.

He suddenly winced as he felt a slight jolt of pain. He looked around and saw several scratch marks on his chest, and felt bite marks on his neck. Ted shook his head, but remembered the events of the last few hours. He smiled to himself and, looking over, saw Tigra.

Greer was completely naked, sound asleep. She was slightly purring, and Ted scratched behind her ears.

Tigra sleepily looked up, but remembered the scent all too well. She stretched like a cat and purred,

"Well, how was it?"

Ted leaned over, pulling the sheets closer,

"You know I liked it. I like you a lot, Tigra."

The were-feline rested her head on the pillow and took the insect hero's hand,

"I like you, too, Ted."

Ted blushed,

"What's there to like? I mean, I'm only a genius inventor of the League, and I hardly go on missions anymore."

Tigra purred,

"You are a gentleman, and a kind a friend, Ted."  
She sat up, resting her chin on her knees,

"Can I confide in you, Ted?"

Blue Beetle put his arm around her shoulder,

"Of course."

Greer sighed,

"You're the first person I've been with in a few months. I mean, with what happened to Persiana, I just couldn't bring myself to be close to Yellow Jacket anymore. I was so worried about little sis that I just couldn't do anything else. Then, I find out Hank wants her dead, and I just couldn't let that happen."

She wiped a tear away,

"She's family to me. I'm like her sister, the only real family she has left."

Blue Beetle kissed his girlfriend's cheek,

"Greer, you're a caring, beautiful woman. I know you're only looking out for her."

Tigra wiped a tear away and smirked,

"Farrah was right, you are a nice person."

She came closer,

"And you have such a hot body."

Blue Beetle blushed hotly,

"Well, I'm not that good looking. All I do is swim."

Greer grinned,

"Too bad. I would love to see you in a Speedo."

Ted was a little nervous at that. Tigra shook her head,

"Sorry, it's my form. I get a little…hormonal, especially when I'm with someone close to me."

Ted nodded,

"It's all right. I'm not angry with you."

Greer put her head on his shoulder, sighing happily.

Ted asked,

"Would you like to go to dinner tonight?"

The striped were-tigress smiled,

"Yeah, as long as we go to a place with lots of fish."

She then got an idea,

"How about a double date? We can bring another couple along."

Beetle asked,

"Who did you have in mind?"  
Tigra responded,

"How about Lance and Farrah?"

Ted smiled,

"Sure."  
He kissed her lips,

"I suppose I should get going for our date tonight."

Tigra whispered huskily,

"Maybe we'll pick up right where we left off."

Ted laughed,

"I'm sure we will."

He got up and started to get dressed. Tigra watched, a predatory glint in her eyes as the leader of the Super-buddies put on his clothes. She purred at the sight, growling with feline-like pleasure.

After getting dressed, Blue Beetle departed. Tigra shook her head,

"He is hot, and much better than Hank."

She dropped down on all fours and prowled around the room, stretching the kinks in her back.

Blue Beetle was smiling to himself as he was walking to find his fellow Super-buddies. As he did, he noticed Lance running for his life,

"HELP! CRAZY AMAZON AFTER ME! HELP!"  
Following him was an angry Artemis, wielding the biggest axe Ted had ever seen. She screamed,

"DEMON! COME BACK HERE!"  
Ted shook his head,

"We really have to get a street light in here or something."

Along the way, he ran into Farrah and Fire; the green haired supermodel was just going to Brazil for a few days of rest and recuperation. She looked at the smiling Ted,

"Well, I see you are in a good mood."

Farrah narrowed her eyes,

"Something's up."  
Ted laughed,

"Well, it is. Tigra and I are going out for dinner tonight, and she wants Farrah and Lance to join us."

Farrah smiled,

"Sweet."

Bea was stunned. She had been trying to seduce him for months, and decides to see a woman who runs around in a leather bikini and someone who should be locked up in a zoo.

Fire swallowed down her anger,

"Excuse me."

She stormed away, muttering some choice Portuguese phrases. Farrah shook her head,

"I think she's taking this well."

She then realized,

"Ted, why do you smell like Tigra?"

It then occurred to her,

"You and Tigra?"

The striped Avenger heroine was walking by and smiled dreamily at Ted,

"See you tonight. Meow."

She strutted away, her tail seeming to hypnotically dance about.

Farrah looked at him,

"You, my friend, are one of a few lucky people that can make Greer act like that. Don't screw it up. And, I will tell Lance to get ready for tonight."

Her ears twitched and she could hear Lance running,

"ARTEMIS, DON'T SWING THAT THING! YOU CAN KILL SOMEONE, LIKE ME!"  
Artemis was raging like a mad woman, roaring,

"DIE, YOU DEMON!"  
Farrah sighed and, pulling out a hypodermic needle, injected the contents into the red-headed Wonder Woman's neck as she passed by. This prompted Artemis to drop, the axe sliding away. She had a silly grin on her face,

"Mommy, can we go swimming now? I wanna see Odysseus."

Lance was catching his breath,

"Thank you."

Farrah shrugged,

"It's nothing. No one goes after my man except me."

She growled in delight,

"Oh, and we're on a double date tonight with Ted and Greer. Wear something nice and expensive."

She whispered,

"I will be."  
Farrah walked away, smiling.

Meanwhile, Bea had rounded a corner and bumped into Flash. The Fastest Man Alive asked,

"Hey, Bea. What's going on?"  
The fire using heroine glared,

"You and I are going on a date. Wear a suit."

She then whispered something that made Wally slack his jaw open. He nodded,

"I'll be there."

Fire smiled seductively,

"I know you will, handsome."

She continued walking, wiggling her hips as she did.

**Later that evening… **

Having decided to meet at a fancy Italian restaurant, Ted, Greer, Farrah, and Lance were sitting down, dining and sharing laughs. Ted and Lance were dressed in tuxedos, while Greer was in a long black dress with an orange flower. Her cat-head talisman was prominantely displayed on her neck. Farrah was wearing a long red dress with a white flower. Her image inducer was being worn like a choker. She and Greer were sharing a laugh. Farrah said,

"So, anyway, I told Superman that if he thought my moves in training were something, I told him to wait until we were in bed."

She laughed,

"Oh, the look on his face was hysterical. I thought he swallowed kryptonite or something."

Greer could not help herself,

"So, what did he say?"

Farrah shrugged,

"Supes said he was spoken for."

The tigress snapped her fingers,

"Shoot."

Farrah shook her head,

"I'm not mad. I have a man of my own."

She looked at Lance,

"There are things my body can do most women will kill for."

She wore a predatory grin,

"When am I gonna see you naked?"

Lance nearly sputtered out his linguine. He covered his mouth with a napkin,

"Do you believe this is appropriate dinner conversation?"

Greer looked over at her date, rubbing a finely manicured nail on his lips. She almost purred,

"You know there are things that I can do with my mouth besides talking."

Ted swallowed his champagne rather suddenly, trying to change the subject,

"Uh, Farrah, so how well have you adjusted to this world?"

Farrah cut into her swordfish,

"I've adapted well. It's a lot different than my world."

She sighed,

"At the same time, it's like I never left. I mean, I know this is New York, but it's so much different than what I am used to. I'm not on the lam, like in my world."

Lance nodded, then felt a sharp jolt in his head. It was a telepathic broadcast. He looked around and noticed Bea and a red-headed man Lance had never seen before. The red-eyed hero then looked at Greer and Ted. The two looked to be having a good laugh.

Farrah asked,

"Is something wrong, Lance?"

Diablos shook his head,

"No, nothing, sweetheart. Just a loud thought broadcast, that's all."

He took her hand and kissed it. Farrah did not think anything of it and purred.

Suddenly, the windows shattered in the restaurant. The other patrons took cover, as did the four dining guests.

Greer and Farrah were horrified at what they saw.

Ultron walked in, scanning the area. He said in a metallic voice,

"Subject Tigra in area. Continuing search."

Ted asked,

"That's Ultron?"

Farrah nodded,

"Yeah, but why would it want Greer?"

Lance narrowed his eyes,

"You three get everybody out. I'll hold him off."

The lioness looked at her boyfriend,

"Honey, as much as I love you defending me, you'll need our help."

Tigra put her hand on her friend's shoulder,

"Lance is right, little sis. He can handle it. Besides, we can't blow our secret identities here."

Diablos used his powers and turned his tuxedo into his costume. He then rocketed out of the table and into Ultron, tackling him in the streets. Greer shrugged,

"On second thought, why not?"

Next Chapter:  
As the Justice League fights Ultron, a spy is revealed, and it leaves the League reeling. Find out more next time!


	24. Chapter 24

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Eve Willows._

Chapter 24: Mid-town Melee! 

Ultron scanned the room,

"Commencing retrieval of subject Tigra."

Just then, he was hit with a red lightning attack. Diablos, still wearing his suit, growled,

"Back off, Ultron. Now."

The android looked up,

"You are interfering with my search. Cease, or be destroyed."

The red-eyed hero used his powers and changed from his suit to his costume. He smirked,

"Sorry, I'm having too much fun."  
He charged him, forcing the android out of the restaurant.

Farrah and Greer managed to take cover in the commotion and, removing their disguises, had changed into their costumed identities. Tigra shook her head,

"Why is Ultron coming after me?"

"Because Hank wants him too."

The two felines turned and instantly Persiana snarled,

"YOU!"  
The voice belonged to Eve Willows, Farrah's mother. The blonde geneticist smirked,

"Now, which one of you kitties wants to get skinned first?"

Persiana roared and pounced on her mother, but was taken down by a golden blur. The blur was a male with spotted fur, resembling a cheetah. It was Sebastian Balleros, the male Cheetah. He grinned and licked his lips,

"Hello, kitten. Miss me?"

Just then, a ball of green fire pelted the villainous feline. He shrieked in pain and then got thrown off by Persiana.

Fire grinned,

"I guess I'm too hot for ya, handsome."  
Eve adjusted her glasses and stared at her opponents. She smirked,

"As fun as it is to fight me, Diablos is holding off Ultron all by himself. I'd help him if I were you."  
Farrah clenched her fists. She really wanted to wipe that smug look off her mother's face. However, she also knew Eve was right. Lance could not hold off Ultron all by himself. She growled,

"This is not over."  
The lioness bolted out of there on all fours, trying to find her boyfriend. Fire, Tigra and Blue Beetle were getting the civilians to safety, away from the ruined restaurant. Every so often, the striped tigress would look up and growl at Eve, to which the scientist would only smirk. Greer really hated Farrah's mother.

**Meanwhile… **

Diablos and Ultron were exchanging energy blasts not too far away from where they previously met. The robot launched laser blasts from its fingers, but the red-eyed hero shielded himself with a barrier of telekinetic force. He then tried to launch red lightning at Ultron, but the machination brushed it off. Lance adjusted his glasses, thinking,

_This is gonna be a while. _

The android shook his head,

"You are not capable of defeating me. You are organic. I am metal. I am superior. You are inferior."

He launched another laser blast. This time, Diablos dodged it and rolled behind a car. The red-eyed hero telekinetically lifted the car and threw it back at Ultron. Ultron destroyed the car, and the resulting explosion knocked Diablos off his feet. He looked up and saw the robot killer hardly had a scratch on him. Lance could feel his ribs were bruised, and were starting to heal. Ultron readied another blast,

"Preparing for termination."

"!!!"

That loud war chant came from Artemis, the new Wonder Woman. Barreling in at high speeds, she delivered a powerful clothesline to the android. Ultron somersaulted in the air, feeling the blow, but landed on its feet so suddenly, it was like the robot did a flip. Ultron glared,

"Subject interfering in termination. Preparing to termin-."  
Diablos lashed out with a telekinetic attack, sending Ultron into a fire hydrant across the street. He looked over to Artemis,

"Thanks."

Artemis scowled,

"Do not thank me, demon. I should have let that thing destroy you."

Lance shrugged and, charging an electrical attack, conducted it through the water. The shock hit Ultron.

Green Arrow, Persiana, and Wonder Man all eventually arrived on the scene. The furry feline blinked,

"Is he down yet?"

Ultron stood up, his eyes and face glowing,

"Automated repair systems engaged."

Green Arrow got an explosive arrow ready,

"Doesn't look like it."  
He fired, but Ultron blasted it away. Wonder Man and Artemis double teamed, bashing at Ultron with a flurry of punches and jabs. The robot activated a force field barrier, shocking the two of them away. Persiana ordered,

"The neck. Disable the neck."

Diablos unsheathed his sword and, charging in, tried to slice into Ultron. However, at the last minute, a flash went off, blinding everyone present.

When the flash was clear, Ultron was gone. Artemis shouted,

"CURSE YOU!! I WILL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU!!!  
Diablos sheathed his sword and looked around,

"Let's head back to the restaurant and see how the others are doing."

**Back at the restaurant… **

Eve Willows looked at the three heroes,

"Come on, do you truthfully believe Sebastian and I are here to cause trouble?"

Tigra snarled,

"Yeah, I do. You've done nothing but cause trouble for years!"

The other heroes involved in the Ultron fight returned and Farrah immediately growled at her mother,

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't gut you like a pig."

"Because she's coming with me."

Everyone turned and saw Speedy standing in the streets, his bow and arrow ready to fire. Farrah blinked,

"Look, Roy. I know you take after Ollie's women chasing-."

The emerald archer was surprised,

"Who? Me?"

Tigra nodded,

"Well, you haven't stopped gawking at me since I arrived. I'm sure Canary loves that."

Speedy shook his had,

"This isn't about her. It's me following orders."  
Diablos narrowed his eyes. The mercurial marksman was hiding something.

Just then, a big, black limo pulled onto the scene. Out stepped several government agents and an African American woman with a heavy build. She looked to Roy,

"Good work, Agent Harper."  
At this, the heroes were stunned. Green Arrow shook his head in disbelief,

"Roy, are you a spy?"  
Roy looked at them and nodded solemnly,

"Yeah. I've been a spy for Checkmate for months, ever since the League expanded ranks."

Farrah was horrified,

"That means-."

Speedy nodded,

"Director Waller knows everything about you, Farrah, and your mother."

Waller said,

"Dr. Willows, you will come with us, please."

Eve walked to the limo, but shot her daughter a smug look,

"As the old expression goes; so near, yet, so far."

She got in the limo with Waller. Speedy looked at his teammates and friends and said,

"Consider this my resignation from the League."  
He dropped his ID in the streets and joined in the limo. It then drove off.

The silence was overwhelming and thick…

Next Chapter:  
How will the League react to this sudden revelation? And what does Checkmate want with Eve Willows? Find out next chapter.


	25. Chapter 25

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 25: Revelations and Plots 

"Roy was a mole?"

Green Arrow was stunned at what he was hearing. So was the rest of the League.

Persiana groaned in her hands,

"I can't believe it. Why couldn't I have seen this? It's happening all over again."

She looked at Tigra, to which the were-tigress drooped her ears and looked away.

Superman looked around,

"You said Diablos was with you. Where is he?"

Farrah shook her head,

"I don't know. He said he was going to talk to Speedy about something. That's the last I heard from him."

Wonder Girl burst in the room,

"Is it true? Is Roy a traitor?"  
Diana came to her sister,

"Donna, please-."  
The younger Amazon princess shouted,

"NO! I need to know. Has Roy betrayed us?"

Ollie shook his head,

"We don't know."

Farrah clenched her fists down. She was angry. Angry that this was happening; angry that it brought back so many painful memories. Granted, Roy was not as close to the lioness as Tigra was, but it did not mean it was any less painful. She stormed out of the room, slashing a significant piece of the wall as she did.

Flash commented,

"She's taking it well."  
Tigra nodded,

"You're right. She could hunt Roy down and kill him."

**Meanwhile… **

Diablos managed to get a few blocks before catching up with the limo. It stopped, and Waller and Roy stepped out. The red-headed archer shook his head,

"Don't bother trying to talk me out of this, Lance. I've made my decision."  
The red-eyed hero shook his head,

"What do I tell Donna when I see her again?"

The heavy woman looked at Roy,

"You can tell him."

Diablos could have easily read the mind of the archer, but respected his privacy. Roy approached and the two went to a bench not too far away.

Eve, from the limo, watched all of this unfold, and smiled evilly in delight. This was going to be better than she had hoped for.

Roy looked at Lance,

"You don't understand. There wasn't a choice."  
Lance retorted,

"Tell that to your Amazon ex-girlfriend and her sister, because I think they're going to try and kill you when they find you again. What the hell is this about, Roy?"

Speedy looked away, shaking his head,

"There are things I did. Horrible things that got me into this mess. Things that I have to clean up."  
He swallowed nervously before continuing,

"I was a drug addict."

Lance blinked at that for a moment before asking,

"What were you addicted to?"

"Heroin."

"Does Ollie know?"

"No, no one does, except maybe Amanda. She took me into Checkmate, got me clean, and I trained to be one of their agents. You see, Lance. I owe them. I owe them my life."

Lance raised his arms in frustration,

"You could have told someone! You could have told Ollie!! He would have helped!"  
Roy sarcastically remarked,

"And be one of Ollie's miracle charity cases? Sorry, this was MY mess; I have to clean it up!"  
He shook his head, adding,

"But that's not all."

Lance rubbed the bridge of his nose,

"There's more?"

Roy nodded,

"When I was training, I met this woman. She called herself…Cheshire and-."

The red-eyed hero groaned,

"Roy, she is bad news. How could you ever get involved with her, of all women?"  
Roy wiped a tear away, replying angrily,

"I wanted someone that actually gave a damn about me. I didn't want to be treated like a government stooge! She made me feel that way for the first time in a long time!"

He then added,

"At least, until she got pregnant."

Lance could not believe what he was hearing,

"You have child with her?"

"A daughter. She's two now."

He looked up,

"You're right, I should have told someone. But, I didn't, and, now, I have to clean this mess up myself."

Lance shook his head,

"You know, you're lucky I found you before my girlfriend, Donna, or Diana did. If they found you first, you'd be a smear on the road."  
He teleported away, not wanting to have to deal with this right now.

As Roy was making his way back to the limo, Eve smirked,

"Roy lives around here, right?"  
Waller narrowed her eyes,

"Let me make myself clear, Doctor. You are considered to be an important asset to the United States government for your knowledge of Hydra. Why you're even planning to betray them is beyond me."  
Eve smirked,

"What makes you think I was ever going to betray them?"  
Quickly, she grabbed Amanada's gun and knocked her unconscious. Roy tried to get a shot off with the bow, but the gun fired and hit him in the shoulder. He fell back and tried to reach for the bow when Eve's foot pressed down on the wound. Roy looked up and was looking at the barrel of a gun. The genetic researcher said,

"Now, tell me. What apartment is your daughter in?"

Next Chapter:

Things can only go from bad to worse for Roy, and for the Justice League. Find out next time!


	26. Chapter 26

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Eve Willows, Bast, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 26: You Did NOT See this Coming! 

Diablos had teleported down to his home under his own powers. He appeared in his own room. The hero sat on the bed and took his glasses off, covering his forehead with his hands.

A small black kitten was meowing for attention. Lance turned and said,

"Not now, Bast."  
Bast jumped on the bed and changed into her hybrid state. She said,

"Diablos, is something the matter?"

Lance shook his head,

"Roy was a mole for Checkmate. Why couldn't I sense it? I think this might be my fault."

The goddess shook her head,

"As powerful as you are, you cannot be blamed. Roy is the traitor, and you should kill him for betraying you."  
Diablos disagreed,

"It's not my place to judge."

Bast said,

"Diablos, I know you have immortality and have seen a lot in your lifetime, but you are so naïve. The one called Speedy betrayed you. I still don't see why you should even allow him to live."  
The red-eyed hero looked at his feline ex-girlfriend,

"Somehow, I don't think it would be right."

Bast glared daggers at him. She jumped up and stood at her full height. The feline goddess slapped him across the face so hard, he fell down.

Bast got on top of him, grabbing him by his throat, snarling,

"Now, you listen to me, Diablos. Why you're even considering keeping him alive is beyond me, and I know you are strong, but, for once, can't you see things my way?"  
Diablos said firmly,

"No."

He then smirked,

"You know, what you just did bring back a lot of memories for me."  
Bast came closer, within millimeters of his lips,

"I know. Why do you think I did it?"

She began purring in delight, brushing her clawed hand across her former lover's face.

Just then, Lance got a call off his PDA. He said,

"I have to take this."  
Bast pouted, but got off of him. Diablos answered it,

"Hello?"  
It was Roy,

"Lance, I need your help. You're the only one that can."

Diablos told him,

"Calm down, Roy. What happened?"

The archer said,

"She took Lian. Eve kidnapped Lian."

Diablos became wide-eyed,

"I'll be right over!"  
He hung up and looked to Bast,

"Eve kidnapped Lian."

Bast was curious,

"Who is Lian?"

"Roy's daughter."

"I'll get my scimitar."  
**Meanwhile… **

Farrah had teleported down, not waiting to hear the League's decision concerning Speedy. She sniffed the air madly for his scent, hoping to find him. The were-lioness shook her head, thinking,

_I know you're out there, Lance. I'll find you. _

"Persiana?"

The white-haired feline turned and saw Tigra, as well as Wonder Man, Sentry, and Miss Marvel. Simon looked at his teammate,

"Are you all right?"

Farrah shook her head,

"No. I feel sick all over."

Tigra nodded,

"It's scary, but he's immortal. He can't die."

Persiana nodded,

"Four thousand years old. I wonder what he's seen and experienced in that time."

Sentry was surprised,

"Four thousand years? Amazing."

Tigra's ears twitched at that moment. So did Persiana's. The two looked and saw two figures flying in at very fast speeds. Miss Marvel shook her head,

"Those two are in an awful hurry. I wonder who the feline in the Egyptian robe is."  
Tigra smiled,

"Oh, that's Bast. She's been staying with Lance for a while."  
Sentry looked at Persiana,

"Do you think he's cheating on you?"

Persiana smiled,

"No, he's not. His code of honor won't allow him. I also made it quite clear to Bast if she tries anything, she's dead."  
She dashed across the roof tops,

"Come on, I wanna see where they're going!"  
Tigra shook her head,

"Little sis, you're too eager sometimes."

She joined her, and the other Avengers flew after them.

By the time they all got there, Diablos and Bast were watching an apartment fire be put out by fire fighters. Roy and Amanda Waller were near the paramedics, being treated for injuries. Diablos floated down and looked at the archer,

"When did this happen?"

Roy shook his head,

"Ten minutes after we showed up, Eve attacks us. She took her, Lance. She took Lian."

"Who's Lian?"

Persiana had her arms folded as she asked the question. She had a dangerous scowl on her face as she waited for an answer.

Roy hesitated to answer for a second, but took a deep breath and said,

"Lian is my daughter."

**Meanwhile… **

A purple haired little girl was walking in a lavish apartment suite. Her name is Lyta, the daughter of the sorceress Circe and the God of War Ares. Since being left alone, Lyta decided to indulge in some ice cream.

As she is trying to scoop the hard ice cream out of the container, she can feel the presence of someone close by. She turned and noticed the male Cheetah standing near her. Lyta smiled,

"Unka Sebsastian!"  
The little girl ran and hugged him tightly. Sebastian smiled, revealing his fangs,

"Hello, Lyta. Where's your mother?"  
Lyta shrugged,

"I don't know. She said she was busy."

She sulked,

"I'm bored and want ice cream."

Sebastian crouched to all fours and patted her on the head,

"How about you and I play a game with a friend of mine?"

Lyta asked,

"Is it that nice lady who you have kissie face with?"

Sebastian laughed,

"Of course it is. In fact, I know you'll like the game we're going to play. She's going to be bringing someone your age too."  
Lyta clapped her hands excitedly,

"Let's play! Let's play!"

Sebastian smiled,

"Just let us put the ice cream back and we'll go."  
He thought to himself,

_This is too easy. _

The two put the ice cream away and left the apartment.

A short time later, Circe returned, clutching several shopping bags. She sighed,

"No matter how much I hate mortals, I can never deny they make a woman mad whenever there is a sale."  
She called out,

"Lyta, honey. Mommy's back."

When there was no answer, Circe called out again,

"Lyta, it's Mommy. Stop playing around and come give Mommy a kiss."

Still no response came from the sorceress' calls. Starting to worry, she cast a spell, trying to discern the location of her daughter. When the spell fizzled, Circe began panicking,

"What's going on? Why can't I find her?"

The phone rang at that moment. Circe picked it up and said,

"Hello?"  
It was Eve Willows,

"Hello, Circe. How are things? Oh, I know, you don't know where you're daughter is, do you? Well, I had Sebastian pick her up for a little play date. Don't worry, if things go according to my plan, your little girl will be a beautiful woman. Toodles."  
Circe crushed the receiver in her hand,

"That witch! She will die for touching her!"

"I believe I may be of some assistance."

Circe turned and saw Gorilla Grodd, a canister in his hand. The simian scientist snarled,

"Eve murdered my Giganta, and I want to make her pay."

Circe grinned evilly,

"I'm in. She's going to pay for this, as well as Luthor."

Next Chapter:  
A Plan is put in motion as the two villains make a rescue.

AN: Lian Harper is a canon DC character. She is Speedy and Cheshire's daughter.


	27. Chapter 27

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Eve Willows, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 27: The Plot Thickens! 

The male Cheetah, Sebastian Balleros, was taking the young Lyta to the Cadmus Laboratory in Hawaii. (1) Lyta looked out over the water and was awed by the ocean,

"It's so blue!"  
Sebastian snickered,

"Of course it is."

The pilot said,

"We're landing now."

The plane landed, and Lyta unbuckled her safety belt. The male Cheetah dashed after her and the two walked onto the island.

There, Dr. Eve Willows smiled,

"Sebastian, my beloved."

She ran into his arms and kissed him passionately. Lyta made a face,

"Ew! Kissie face!"  
Eve looked at the purple-haired girl,

"Someday, you will understand the pleasures of a man."  
Lyta shook her head,

"When are we gonna play, Unka Sebastian? Is Mommy gonna be here too?"

Eve darkly responded,

"Your mommy won't be here, especially not to save you…"  
She pulled out a spray can and sprayed its contents. In moments, Lyta was asleep. Sebastian grinned,

"So, what are you going to do to her?"

Eve smiled,

"For now, let her play with my other guest. I need to get a few other things."

She sighed happily,

"I suppose I really have to thank Morrow for finishing the construction on this lab. After all, this was the site of the first successful alien clone."  
**Back in New York… **

Persiana shook her head in disbelief,

"No way. Roy Harper, a father?"  
Diablos nodded,

"It's true. Speedy has a little girl. She's about three now."

The white-haired lioness rubbed the bridge of her nose,

"Let me understand this; Speedy sleeps with another woman, gets her pregnant, the mother takes off and leaves Roy with the kid, and my boyfriend knew about this all along?"

Persiana looked at her former teammate,

"When Donna finds out about this, Roy, you're dead."  
Roy swallowed nervously and audibly.

Diablos shook his head,

"It doesn't matter now. The fact that Lian is missing should be our top priority. We're bringing him with us and explain what happened to the Big Seven."

Tigra looked up,

"Uh, you may not have to."

Diablos turned and took his glasses off in surprise,

"Uh-oh."

It was Superman, Batman, the red-headed Wonder Woman Artemis, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and Hawkgirl.

Artemis grabbed Roy by the collar,

"You are dead, Roy."  
Persiana blinked,

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Donna is not taking the whole 'Speedy is a drug addict' thing well, right?"

Artemis shook her head,

"Diana is with her."  
Batman looked at Diablos,

"You knew all about this."  
The red-eyed hero nodded,

"I just found out five minutes ago."

He walked up to the Dark Knight,

"Roy's coming, and so is Bast."

Flash drooled,

"Hot mama!"  
He sped up to Bast,

"Hello, gorgeous. Single?"

The goddess of felines shook her head, smiling,

"Nice try, but I have much better taste in men."  
She eyed Superman and purred. The Man of Steel noticed and shook his head,

"I'm happily married."

Bast shrugged,

"That's all right; I like sharing. Maybe she would too."

At this, everyone but Diablos looked at Bast like she sprouted an extra head. Bast shrugged,

"What?"

Diablos rubbed the bridge of his nose,

"Don't start this again. Please, don't start this again."  
Bast sulked,

"Fine, but only because of Lian."  
She brushed up against the Last Son of Krypton,

"Maybe we'll get acquainted later."

The Amazon archer shook her head,

"Tramp."

Bast's heightened hearing picked that up. She turned, snarling,

"What did you call me?"

She had her hands on the scimitar. Wonder Woman shook her head,

"You're supposed to be a woman, and you act like a child."  
Diablos groaned,

"Not this…"

Bast scoffed,

"Look who's talking, Amazon. I seem to recall your kind running away and hiding."

The red-eyed hero rubbed his temples,

"Please, not this…"

Wonder Woman's eyes widened and she shouted,

"I know more about being a woman than you could ever be, furball!"  
Bast countered,

"Then you know what it's like being a bitch!"  
Artemis screamed,

"DIE!"  
The two women began brawling. Diablos yelled skyward,

"I knew this would happen! Every time it does!"  
Sentry asked,

"Are we going to break them up?"

Diablos shook his head,

"If I know Bast the way I do, you don't want to."

Wonder Man courageously, or foolishly, tried to break up the fight. Bast looked up and drooled,

"HELLO, HANDSOME!"

She brushed up against him,

"You must be Wonderful Man, right?"

Simon blinked,

"It's Wonder Man, miss."

He jumped up when he felt something sharp on his backside. Bast grinned,

"You and I are SO getting acquainted later."

Hawkgirl rolled her eyes,

"Flighty, isn't she?"  
Diablos looked at her,

"You have no idea."

Suddenly, he felt something in his head,

"Someone's watching us."

"How interesting…"

Everyone turned and saw a woman wearing a crown with polished gold horns, green robes, and an evil intention. She smiled darkly,

"Bow before the presence of Loki, goddess of trickery!"

Everyone was surprised at this. Tigra scratched her head,

"Wait, isn't Loki a guy?"

Diablos nodded,

"I don't know, but I know that, whoever that is, is legitimately a god of some kind. There's too much telepathic static for me to cut through."

Loki rubbed her chin,

"Interesting. This red-eyed youth is intriguing. Perhaps a demonstration of your powers will suffice. And, just so you are not alone…"

The goddess of trickery cast a spell and, before everyone's eyes, the Wrecking Crew appeared, all five of them. The League took a defensive stance and braced for a fight…

Next chapter:

The Justice League vs. The Wrecking Crew

(1) See Justice League: Persiana for more info on this location


	28. Chapter 28

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Eve Willows, and Bast._

Chapter 28: Dealing with the Devil 

Lyta woke up in a small children's room. Looking around, she wondered out loud,

"I wonder where I am. I wonder where Mommy is."

She turned and noticed a black-haired girl huddling in a corner. The purple haired girl looked at the other girl,

"Hi, my name is Lyta. What's yours?"

The scared little girl looked up,

"Lian. Lian Harper."

Lyta sat next to her,

"That's a pretty name."

She looked around,

"Do you want to play with a toy, Lian?"

Lian shook her head,

"No, I'm scared."

Lyta nodded,

"I'm scared too. Mommy is looking for me too."

Lian looked up,

"That woman hurt Daddy and that nice lady. She set my home on fire."  
The purple haired girl was shocked,

"She did? The one that makes kissie face with Unka Sebastian?"

Lian nodded, making Lyta scowl,

"Oooh! Unka Sebastian is in BIG trouble when Mommy finds him."

Lian nodded,

"I heard something. That woman with the glasses says she's gonna speriment on us."  
Lyta shook her head,

"No one is sperimenting on us. We just have to wait."  
She stood up and picked up some crayons and paper,

"You should draw what your Daddy looks like and I'll draw what Mommy looks like."

Lian smiled,

"Ok."

The two girls sat at the table and began drawing.

Eve Willows watching through the glass window. She turned and noticed Hank Pym arriving. She smiled,

"I take it was a success."

Hank smirked,

"Yes, Joker would steal the War Machine, just like you said he would."

Eve laughed,

"Very good, Henry. Is the second phase of our operation in order?"

Yellow Jacket nodded,

"Almost. I will need more time to assemble it. Ultron is nowhere to be found."

Eve dismissed it,

"No matter. We're going to beat Luthor to the punch with this ingenious plan of ours. Now, if only SHE will hold up her bargain."

**Meanwhile… **

The Justice League was having their problems with the newly re-incarnated Loki, as well as the Wrecking Crew. The first one, wearing green overalls and a purple ski mask, wielding a huge crowbar, snickered,

"Hey, boys. Check out the outfit."  
He was obviously looking at Artemis. Wonder Woman shook her head,

"Typical man."  
The second, a man in green, wielding a ball and chain, rolled his eyes,

"Wrecker, this is hardly the time or the place for such matters."

The third, a man in yellow with a large metallic dome on his head, growled,

"Yeah, we gotta set these punks straight, startin' with that furry bitch Persiana!"  
The fourth, a man in a white shirt and red pants, with two massive arms, shook his head,

"Bulldozer, Thunderball; we don't need ta go after her; let's get 'em all at once!"  
The final man, a bald headed, bare-chested individual, shining in metal and wielding a similar ball and chain weapon, snarled,

"Anything to get back to Titania, Piledriver."

Thunderball surmised,

"Ah, yes, Absorbing Man; the love of your life."  
Absorbing Man shouted,

"Hey, at least I have a girlfriend!"  
Persiana asked,

"Uh, not to interrupt, but are we gonna fight or not? You guys are more boring than Pamela Anderson over here, and she gets boring quick."  
She was talking about Miss Marvel. The blonde air force Major screamed,

"When I get my hands on you, you're gonna regret breathing!"  
The white-haired lioness looked at her teammate and snickered. Carol stormed up to her,

"Just what do you think you're laughing at?!"

Persiana shook her head,

"Less talking, more fighting."  
Artemis narrowed her eyes,

"For once, the animal and I are in agreement."  
She charged madly at Piledriver and tackled him to the ground hard. Diablos and Bast took to the skies and went after Loki. The others went after the rest of the Wrecking Crew.

Persiana and Tigra acrobatically flipped around Wrecker, the two were-cats taunting the crow bar villain. The lioness crowed,

"You know something, pal; you're a bigger home wrecker than the Barbie over there!"  
Miss Marvel dodged a punch from Piledriver, who had just managed to get Artemis off of him,

"Take that back!"  
Carol would have spoken her mind, had it not been for Artemis getting thrown into her. The two powerhouses shook their heads and stood up. The red-headed said,

"They have the strength of Hercules!"

Miss Marvel cracked her knuckles,

"Yeah, they all do. In fact, just four of them almost killed Herc."  
Artemis smirked,

"Is that a challenge? I accept."  
She charged in again, delivering a shoulder tackle.

Sentry, Flash, and Hawkgirl were fighting Bulldozer. The drill sergeant huffed,

"You think a bunch o' puny punks like you are gonna do anything to me?"

He lowered his head and charged right at Flash. The Fastest Man Alive shook his head,

"No, I don't think so."  
He side-stepped him and tripped him. Bulldozer fell face first. Hawkgirl lowered her mace and used it as a hockey stick, slamming Bulldozer's head hard. The impact was so hard that the Thanagarian fighter dropped her mace, the shock being felt throughout her hands. She tried to get the feeling out as she saw Bulldozer get to his feet, somewhat wobbling. He uneasily charged again, but Sentry came at super-speed and landed such a powerful punch, Bulldozer was sent flying across New York City.

J'onn and Green Lantern were fighting off Thunderball. Thunderball raised the ball and chain and threw it at them. Green Lantern got out of the way as the Martian Manhunter phased through the attack. The physicist smirked,

"It is quite refreshing to fight new adversaries, especially when they no nothing about me."

Green Lantern created a construct of a rocket launcher and fired at close range. The explosion of emerald energy momentarily phased the ball-and-chain-user. It was then, that particular member of the Wrecking Crew was succumbing to the effects of a powerful telepath. He held his head,

"What is happening?"

J'onn rematerialized,

"That is for attacking us. And this is for me!"

He launched his massive fist at Thunderball and knocked him cold.

Batman, Tigra, and Persiana were all fighting Absorbing Man. The criminal had turned into solid steel and smirked evilly,

"You're puny attacks won't work on me!"  
Persiana laughed,

"Hey, Sorby! When's the last time Titania slept with ya? It musta been after the Bronze Age!"  
Absorbing Man roared,

"You wise-cracking bitch! Get over here so I can crush you!"  
Persiana narrowly escaped his grip, but kept up the taunting,

"Come on, Sorby, don't you get it? You're girlfriend moved on. I guess she didn't like a guy who can become anything he wants to be."  
She perched on a street light, crowing,

"Sorby, come and get me!"  
Absorbing Man was irate. Dropping his ball and chain, he attacked the street light Persiana was standing on. Acrobatically flipping away, the lioness spied a hydrant. She shouted,  
"Hey, Bats! Get your rubber duckies out!"

Batman looked at the hydrant and launched a batarang. Tigra got Persiana out of there as water began erupting all over Absorbing Man. Then, the Dark Knight pulled out a capsule and threw it into the water. It instantly turned to ice, along with a now frozen Absorbing Man.

Tigra and Persiana began throwing stones at it, shattering him into pieces. The tigress smiled,

"All in a day's work. Good eye, little sis."  
Persiana shook her head,

"Give the credit to Bats. He comes prepared."

Superman and Wonder Man were fighting the Wrecker. The two powerhouses had a hard time slowing him down, and it did not help matters that Wrecker's crowbar was magical. It dropped him, but the Man of Steel used his heat vision and intensified the heat of the crowbar. It grew so hot; Wrecker could not hold on to it and dropped it. He blew on his hands to cool them off. Letting his guard down, the powerhouse villain felt the impact of an uppercut across his chin from the ionic hero Wonder Man. Wrecker fell down as Superman got up and the Last Son of Krypton kicked him in the face, knocking him out. He muttered,

"I hate magic."  
In the air, Bast and Diablos was launching energy against Loki, who had put up a defensive shield. The goddess of trickery shook her head,

"Now, now. This is rather pointless, don't you agree?"

Bast growled,

"Why would you say something like that? You don't know anything about my abilities or my champions."

Loki laughed,

"True, but I do know you are searching for the young mortal called Lian."

At this, Lance's eyes opened in shock,

"You know where she is?"

Loki nodded,

"Of course. All you have to do is surrender yourself and I will take you there."

Bast clenched her fists,

"How do I know you aren't going to trick my champion?"

Loki smiled seductively,

"I am a goddess of trickery. You know I will, somehow."  
The red-eyed hero tried to broadcast this through telepathy,

_Everyone, stop fighting. _

All the combatants, as well as Speedy, who had been laying cover, could hear Diablos in their heads. He continued,

_Loki knows where Lian is. She's offering to show me in exchange for my surrender. _

Immediately, Persiana looked at him,

"No way, Lance. You can't trust her! If this is the same Loki I'm thinking of, it's a trap!"

Lance knew she was right, but he had to know. Finally, he said,

"Take me to her."

Loki was giddy,

"You won't regret this."

With that, the two disappeared in a bright light.

Persiana shrieked,

"!"

Next Chapter:

You knew this was going to be a trap, didn't you?


	29. Chapter 29

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Eve Willows, and Bast._

Chapter 29: You Had to See This Coming 

**At Cadmus Labs, Hawaii… **

Agreeing to go with Loki to Cadmus, Diablos had his sword ready. When they arrived, Eve Willows was there to greet them. She said to Loki,

"You held up your bargain, Loki. I admit; I was somewhat skeptical of a deity of trickery doing anything…honorable."  
Diablos cut in,

"Where's Lian?"

Eve shook her head,

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

Lance gritted his teeth and charged right in. It was pretty reckless of him to do so, considering he got blasted in the back. He fell down, mere inches from the scientist. The sword was too far away for him to reach. Eve stepped on his hand, looking down at him,

"If you really want to know, Lian is with a playmate of hers. The two are getting along nicely. However, I have all the necessary components I need for my latest experiment."  
Yellow Jacket came through the door and noticed the downed hero. He smirked,

"Finally got you."

Eve ordered,

"Take him to the central control room. I want him to see this."

Diablos tried to power up, but another concussive blast from Loki stopped him cold. He was out.

**Meanwhile… **

Agreeing to meet in the Watchtower, the Justice League and Bast were trying to discuss ways of finding out how to track Diablos. A man in a gold helmet, wearing a golden cape and gold boots, was busy casting various divination spells. His name is Doctor Fate, master magician. He and Zatanna were busy trying to cast spells. Zatanna wiped her brow,

"No way. I can't find him. I don't get how he's hidden away."  
Miss Marvel folded her arms,

"It must be a trick by Loki. He, or she, is infamous for this sort of thing."  
Sentry shook his head,

"But, I always thought Loki was a man. How is Loki a woman now?"  
Batman stated,

"Loki is a trickery deity. It's possible he can assume female shapes just to confuse us."  
Persiana shrugged,

"I don't know, Bats. The scent was definitely a woman's, but, then again, this is someone than can alter the fabric of reality. Who knows what's real or not with Loki running around."

Doctor Fate had another spell fizzle,

"AAHH! This is getting us nowhere!"

Artemis scoffed,

"Typical male arrogance."

Tigra rolled her eyes,

"Here we go again."  
The red-headed Wonder Woman folded her arms,

"I say, we let him handle the fate he is destined for."  
Bast turned, snarling,

"Amazon, you are really getting on my nerves. All right, granted, he hasn't been exactly forthcoming with all of this, but I know, deep down, Diablos is the strongest, kindest warrior and friend I have ever met and will ever meet. He's genuinely concerned about Lian, just like Speedy is. So, quit being a bitch and do something useful, LIKE HELP!"

The red-headed bow wielder huffed and walked away, clearly not interested in wasting her efforts to find one person.

Persiana smirked,

"Nice, Bast. You really rattled her cage."

Bast grinned,

"Of course. I'm a feline. It's what I do."

Flash raised his hand,

"I got a question."  
Everyone looked at the Scarlet Speedster. Hawkgirl smirked,

"This'll be good."

The Scarlet Speedster asked,

"How come Lance always has the feline chicks go after him?"

Everyone groaned at this, but Flash continued,

"No, I really need to know this. I heard about Cheetah flirting with him-." (1)  
Persiana screamed,

"WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN? I'LL GUT HER FOR THAT!"  
Wally winced,

"Ouch, sorry."

Bast shook her head, explaining,

"That's easy. I like guys with red eyes."

Persiana rolled her eyes and said,

"I'm gonna check on Donna."

**Elsewhere in the Watchtower… **

Wonder Girl was in her room, sobbing her eyes out. She had just been told about Speedy's child Lian, and how he had a sordid past. The Amazon teen could not believe she was hearing this about him. She really liked Roy, a lot. The raven-haired teen was almost certain she loved him.

A voice called out,

"Donna?"

Donna turned and immediately recognized it. It was Diana. She wiped her tears and said,

"Come in."

Diana entered and looked at her sister. She sighed,

"By Hera, dear sister. What happened to you?"

Donna pouted,

"Roy happened. I can't believe he would do this."

Diana sat down on the bed,

"Sister, I know this is troubling for you. I can't imagine what you're going through."

Donna wiped more tears away,

"How is it he kept this from me? I had a right to know."  
The former Wonder Woman shook her head,

"I can't imagine why. You should ask him to explain himself."

There was another knock,

"Donna? It's Roy."  
Diana clenched her fist, but kept her composure. She opened the door and saw a timid Speedy looking up,

"Uh…hi…Diana. If…this…is…a…bad…time?"

Diana grabbed him by the throat,

"I should just snap your neck, but I want you to explain yourself to Donna."

Wonder Girl stood up from the bed and came near her sister,

"Diana, I want to hear what he has to say."

Diana dropped him,

"Make it brief."

Speedy rubbed his throat and nodded,

"All right. I'll tell you everything."

He cleared his throat and began,

"When I became an addict, I did some things that, believe me, I want to take back, but can't. My addiction got so bad, I was willing to do almost anything to get high. I just needed something to cope with the hero business and everything spun out of control. Amanda put me in touch with Checkmate. They helped me get clean and I met this woman there. We were physical for a while, until I found out she was carrying my child. I didn't care if it was a boy or a girl; I never even wanted a child, but I couldn't stand by and do nothing."

Donna asked,

"Who is Lian's mother?"

Roy swallowed nervously before continuing,

"Cheshire."

Diana was stunned,

"The assassin? How did you get involved with her?"  
Roy shook his head,

"I don't know. It just…happened."

Persiana, overhearing this, scoffed,

"So do death, taxes, and California wildfires, but that doesn't make it right."

The three turned and saw Persiana, her arms folded, glaring at Roy. Farrah shook her head,

"Please, continue."

Roy did so,

"After she gave birth, she disappeared again on a mission for Checkmate. I haven't seen her since, and I'm the one with Lian. I want to take care of this child. I made this mess, and I have to be the one that cleans it up."

There was stone silence for one minute. Farrah just looked on; her entire attitude about Roy had changed from anger to shock. She never expected Roy to be a family man, but she could tell he was serious about raising Lian.

Diana glared,

"That still didn't give you the right to spy on us."

Donna said,

"Wait, sister."  
Diana turned to her younger sibling. Wonder Girl thought for a moment before continuing,

"I want to see Lian for myself."  
Persiana shrugged,

"That's gonna be hard, considering Loki's running around, hiding my boyfriend."

Donna remembered,

"You told me about that trickster. He will pay."  
Persiana corrected,

"SHE."

Diana asked,

"Did you not say Loki was a man?"

Persiana shook her head,

"I don't know how it happened, princess, but I do know that, no matter the gender, Loki is dangerous."

She shuddered,

"The only thing we need now is if Thor showed up here. That's something I don't want to have happen."  
**Approximately one hundred miles north of the Cadmus Labs location in Hawaii… **

A bright lightning flashed across the sky. As it diminished, a tall man appeared, wearing armor and a feathered cap. A red cape fluttered in the wind, and he was wielding a hammer with a short handle. His name is Thor, the god of thunder. He said to himself,

"Curse you, Loki. I know you are close by. I will find you and ensure that Midgard is safe from your tricks."

The thunder god picked up on a feeling,

"A fellow warrior is in trouble. I must go to him at once."

He flew off, making all do haste to the lab's location.

Next Chapter:  
Torture, and not the humorous kind, either. Plus, an enemy thought to have been defeated returns to settle an old score.

(1) See the first Chapter of Titans East for details.


	30. Chapter 30

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Eve Willows, and Bast._

Chapter 30: Dark Secrets 

Lian and Lyta were busy drawing, trying to forget their situation. Lian smiled at the purple-haired girl,

"Your mommy is really pretty."

Lyta looked back at the raven haired child,

"Is your daddy's hair really on fire?"

Lian giggled,

"That's silly. No, it's not. It's just really, really red."

Just then, the door opened. The two girls looked and saw Eve Willows smiling darkly,

"Girls, it's time to go."  
Lian stuck her tongue out,

"Meanie! You tried to hurt my Daddy!"

She ran up to her and began pounding on her leg, but Eve just laughed,

"I see Roy's daughter really is a fighter after all."

Lyta glared,

"Where's Mommy? You and Unka Sebastian are in SO much trouble when she finds out what you did!"  
Eve shook her head,

"Mommy isn't going to rescue you, brat. Now, move it."

Lian kept pounding, not realizing her efforts were futile.  
The male Cheetah walked in and, grabbing Lian by her neck, brought her up to his face. He roared, making the little girl cry in fear. Lyta shouted,

"That's my friend!"  
She charged in, but the male Cheetah did the same thing, roaring and frightening the girl into paralysis. The crazed scientist smiled evilly,

"Now, isn't that better? Come along, girls. I have a playmate for you."

The two girls were obedient and followed, but more out of fear than curiosity.

When everyone entered the main room, the girls screamed.

Lance was hanging against the wall. His shirt was torn off and he had a bevy of scars all over his chest. Many were fresh, but many more looked like they had been there for a while. He looked up, his eyes were bloodshot, but the hero was far from unconscious.

Diablos looked at the children and immediately struggled, roaring,

"GET AWAY FROM THEM, YOU PSYCHOTIC MANIAC! I'LL RIP YOU A NEW ONE WHEN I GET OUTTA THIS!"  
Loki shook her head,

"You are SO not fun. I mean, all I want is a little madness, mayhem, trickery, torture…"

She then remembered,

"Oh, wait. I've had plenty of that already!"

The goddess of trickery then began laughing at Diablos' misfortune. The red-eyed hero glared,

"If you knew what I was capable of, you wouldn't be laughing. You'd be begging me to spare your life!"  
Eve rolled her eyes,

"Give it up, hero. You couldn't protect them. What I do next is on your hands."  
Lian got away from the Sebastian's grasp,

"He's my friend!"  
She tried running up to him, but Yellow Jacket kicked her to the floor. Diablos was stunned,

"You bastard, Pym! That was a child!"

Hank turned and spat on him,

"You ruined me, and everything I tried to do. All I had to do is kill that furry bitch Persiana and it was all over. No, you had to interfere; you had to stop me."

Eve smiled,

"Now, children, let's go this way."

Lyta went to Lian and helped her up. The two girls looked at each other. Lyta smirked,

"I got an idea."  
She turned and began holding her hands together, pointing outward. In moments, a small energy sphere appeared. It was launched right at Eve.

The blast exploded prematurely, but it was a distraction long enough for the girls to slip away. Eve dusted herself off,

"Find them! I need them for my experiment!"  
Yellow Jacket and the male Cheetah went after them. Loki shook her head,

"I still don't see why you're doing this. Was it not bad enough the first time?"  
Eve, ignoring Loki, looked at Diablos,

"My daughter did not know her place. If she only listened to me, instead of being the rebellious brat she is, then none of this would be necessary."  
She tossed her hair over to one side,

"Do you want to know why?"

Lance shrugged,

"No, but I bet you're gonna tell me anyway. You're the stereotypical mad scientist, who is so convinced of her intellect that nothing the hero says or does to convince her otherwise."

Eve laughed evilly,

"Very good, Diablos. Yes, I am that smart, but not a mad scientist."

She pulled up a chair, explaining,

"Farrah is a very special project of mine. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I began experimenting on the embryo, writing the genetic code to best suit my needs. You see, she was going to be more than just my daughter…"

She pressed intimately against him, whispering seductively,

"She was going to be my new body."  
At this, Diablos was stunned,

"What?"

"I saw the svelte form Tigra possessed and had to have it. My daughter always thought gymnastics was just a sport for her, but, to me, it was more so. From her birth, the genetic tampering had an amazing effect. She was stronger, more agile than any of those other girls. She had amazing coordination for her age, and excellent reflexes. Not only that, but I also gave her my increased intellect. All the while, her father never suspected a thing."

Diablos shifted on the wall,

"I bet Tony Stark would have pulled the plug on what you were doing, seeing as how you experimented on his daughter."

Eve grinned,

"Farrah detests him so much; she'd rather die than accept help from him."  
She spat on the floor, and then calmed herself,

"The price for staying beautiful in this world is high, but, once I have Farrah's body, all that will change. I'll be able to have another lifetime to come up with another body, one I can improve on."

Diablos shouted,

"YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY INSANE! I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL, BITCH!"

The mad scientist pulled out a scalpel and began inflicting new scars all over Diablos' chest. The red-eyed hero could feel blood in his throat.

Loki pulled her away,

"Dearest Eve, this can wait. Right now, we have to find the children."

Eve started laughing,

"This isn't over, Diablos."

She stormed out of there, Loki following.

When he was alone, he looked around. He saw his sword on the table. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, lifting the sword with his telekinesis. When he had it, he launched the sword in the direction of his restraints. It broke one, but the loud echo may have alerted some of the others. Working quickly, he got out of the other restraints and landed on the floor. He held his chest and smirked to himself,

_The bitch knows how to work a scalpel. Now, I have to find the kids and get them out of here. _

He did not want to risk telepathy, because, figuring Loki, he would be watched. He also looked at his chest. He knew he could heal from it.

Suddenly, a voice said,

"Hello, human."  
Diablos turned and swallowed,

"Oh, crap. This is bad."

"It is, isn't it?"

Diablos turned and saw Loki smirking evilly. The goddess of trickery laughed,

"I was told about this creature, this…Doomsday. I must admit, it is impressive. Not as impressive as the Frost Giants, but worthy enough."

Diablos turned back to the gray brute with spikes growing out of its body. Doomsday smirked evilly,

"Fight time."  
He slammed his massive, bone-spiked fist into Diablos. The red-eyed immortal was sent sailing through a wall. He was still weak from the torture, and stood up uneasily, enabling a psychic barrier to shield his body from harm. Lance clutched the sword, gritting his teeth. Loki waved,

"Well, as you mortals would say, toodles."  
She was about to disappear when, suddenly, the ceiling of the entire lab was destroyed. A loud voice echoed,

"LLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIII!"  
Loki groaned,

"Oh, shoot."  
Thor glared down at his tricky sister (1). The god of Thunder roared,

"YOU ACCURSED FIEND! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MIDGARD LIKE THIS!"  
Loki teleported away, cackling,

"See ya!"

The Norse warrior would have gone after his sibling, had it not been for the abomination known as Doomsday was ready to skewer Diablos. Raising his hammer, Thor launched a lightning attack, sending the Kryptonian weapon across the room. Diablos looked at his savior,

"I take it you're Thor."

Thor nodded,

"Aye, I am."

Lance smirked,

"Persiana told me about you, and your clone."  
Thor shook his head,

"I have never had quarrel with the lioness. I am ashamed of what has happened."  
Diablos shook his head,

"Don't worry about it. She's adjusted nicely."

Doomsday stood up,

"Puny attacks."

Thor gasped,

"What creature is this?"  
Diablos explained,

"He's an organic weapon, built to adapt to our attacks. A few friends of mine fought him before. Now, he's probably more powerful than before."  
Thor readied his hammer,

"A true test for two warriors such as ourselves."

Diablos smirked,

"I like it. Let's hope the fight brings out the best in all of us."  
Thor nodded,

"Aye."

The two fighters charged in, knowing full well the odds may be against them.

Next Chapter:  
All this fighting is bound to attract the attention of the Justice League. And, how are the children faring against the grown-ups? Read next Chapter to find out.

(1) I am saying Loki is a girl. I know Loki was originally a guy, but bear with me.


	31. Chapter 31

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Eve Willows, and Bast._

Chapter 31: Holding The Line Part 1 

Lian and Lyta were running as fast as they could. The two children were trying to elude the male Cheetah and Yellow Jacket. Lian asked,

"Can you do it again?"

Lyta shook her head,

"Not yet. I'm a little tired after the last one."

She stopped and rested against the wall,

"We can rest here. I really hope Mommy comes."

"Not gonna happen, brats."  
The two girls turned and Cheetah stared hungrily at them. He snarled,

"Now, you two brats are going to come with me!"  
Lian saw a pipe. Picking it up, she tried to hit her pursuer as hard as she could.

Cheetah easily grabbed it, smirking evilly,

"Nice try."

Lian let go of the pipe and she saw him crush it. At this point, the scared little girl did the only thing she could do; kick him in the groin.

Sebastian shot his eyes open in shock and keeled onto the floor in pain, shrieking and swearing. Lyta giggled,

"Unka Sebastian got what he deserved."

The two girls continued running.

Yellow Jacket met up with Cheetah,

"What happened?"  
The feline villain groaned,

"Those kids are tougher than they look."

Lian and Lyta continued running. Just then, they felt the entire hallway shake. Lyta turned,

"Diablos is in trouble. He can't hold on much longer."

"She's right, Lian."

The two girls turned and Eve Willows had a sadistic smirk on her face,

"Now, are you going to be good little girls, or do I have to spank you?"  
Lyta tried her energy blast again, but Eve was quick. Really quick; she had managed to incapacitate both of them in before the energy completely formed. The dark scientist shook her head,

"Kids. I don't know why I had one in the first place."

Yellow Jacket and Cheetah arrived at that point, the lab was still shaking. Eve ordered,

"Get these two and follow me."

**Meanwhile… **

Thor and Diablos were looking a little worse for wear. Doomsday's thick skin and bones made it almost impossible for the god of thunder and demonic inspired hero to do any serious damage. The Kryptonian weapon laughed,

"Fools, you can't hurt me!"  
He backhanded Thor through another wall, causing the ceiling to collapse in on him. Lance braced with his sword, his eyes still glowing red. He was breathing heavy and many of his old wounds had re-opened. Diablos shook his head,

"I'm not going to quit, Doomsday! You aren't leaving here to hurt anyone else!"  
Channeling his red lightning through the sword, the Teen Titan powerhouse launched it from his sword. It was a direct hit on Doomsday.

However, Diablos was stunned when Doomsday was still standing, barely a mark on him. The red-eyed hero swallowed,

"This is gonna hurt."  
Doomsday rushed him and grabbed him by the throat,

"You have no idea."

Loki grinned madly,

"This is going to be good."  
Doomsday raised his fist and dropped it, ready to deliver the coup de grace…

Suddenly, a massive fist slammed the Kryptonian weapon clear across the room. Diablos dropped to the floor, but looked up.

It was Sentry, as well as the others from the last battle, but instead of Artemis, Diana and Donna were in attendance. (1). Farrah asked,

"Lance, are you all right?"

She looked at his scarred chest and only one thought came to mind,

"Wow, you're actually pretty buff!"  
Miss Marvel groaned,

"Not this again."

The lioness huffed,

"Hey, this is the first time I've actually got to see him without a shirt on…"  
She grinned lecherously,

"I see the wait was worth it."  
Diablos rolled his eyes,

"Not now. Please, not now."

Diana asked,

"By Hera, Lance. What happened?"

The red-eyed hero rubbed the back of his head,

"Before or after Doomsday showed up?"

Superman was wide-eyed,

"Doomsday is here?"

From out of the rubble, Thor emerged. He shook his head,

"Where is that fiend?"  
He looked and saw the Justice League and the former Avengers. His gaze narrowed,

"You."

Miss Marvel and the other Avengers were stunned. Tigra swallowed nervously,

"Thor? Is that really you?"

Thor shouted,

"HOW DARE YOU CLONE ME! YOU COMMITTED ONE OF THE MOST REPULSIVE VIOLATIONS WITH MY GENETIC CODE!"  
Carol tried to step in,

"Thor, let us explain…"

The god of thunder scowled,

"You have nothing to say that interests me, witch."

Flash winced,

"Ooh, that hurt. "

The blonde Air Force Major shook her head,

"Thor, we had no idea what Tony had planned. If we knew-."  
Thunder rained down on the sky, intensifying the situation. Persiana screamed,

"NO! NOT AGAIN!"  
She curled into a ball and shivered, remembering why she was so frightened of lightning.

Thor saw what he was doing and approached the feline heroine,

"Are you all right, Persiana?"

Persiana looked up, her eyes watery and her lips trembling. She was terrified of Thor, but she knew this was the real one and not the clone. Still, it did not make things any easier.

The son of Odin gave his hand out,

"Persiana, you know I never had quarrel with you. You know I would never deliberately harm you."  
Farrah closed her eyes, trying to think of her options. She sighed and accepted Thor's hand, lifting herself to her full height.

Loki had her hands folded,

"Aww, isn't that sweet?"

Bast roared,

"DIE, TRICKSTER!"  
She tackled her and a cat-fight broke out. Thor looked at Diablos,

"An ally?"  
Diablos rubbed the bridge of his nose,

"We were lovers at one point. Don't be fooled; Bast can hold her own against the best of us."

The rubble erupted and Doomsday emerged, smirking,

"My turn."

The Kryptonian weapon changed the bone spikes to a glowing green hue. Instantly, Superman fell to his knees,

"It's…Kry…pt…on…ite!"  
Speedy swallowed,

"This is bad."

Batman ordered,

"Flash, take Speedy, Tigra and Persiana with you. Find the children. I'm going after Eve Willows."  
John Stewart asked,

"And what do you want the rest of us to do?"  
Carol cracked her knuckles,

"Crush Doomsday."  
Doomsday smirked,

"Bring it on."

As soon as the last words were spoken, he got blasted in the back by a powerful energy attack. Everyone looked up and was stunned.

It was Circe and Gorilla Grodd. Circe shrieked,

"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!"

Persiana covered her mouth in horror,

"She kidnapped Circe's daughter too? Oh, Mom, why?"

Circe saw the were-lioness. Using her magical abilities, she brought the feline to her, glaring,

"This is your mother. Where did she take my daughter?"

Grodd shook his head,

"She doesn't know. However, I can sense them this way."  
He pointed to a corridor. Circe flew by him, shouting,

"I'm coming, Lyta!"  
Grodd looked at the League,

"Normally, I would facilitate your downfall, but my more immediate concerns are with a certain psychotic scientist."

He ran on all fours after Circe, revenge solely on his mind. Diablos smirked,

"Well, at least we're not the only ones she's ticked off."

Persiana smiled evilly,

"I have to see this for myself."

Next Chapter:

More fighting!

(1) See Chapter 28 and 29 of this story


	32. Chapter 32

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Bast, and Eve Willows._

Chapter 32: Holding the Line Part 2 

Batman, Flash, Persiana, Tigra, and Speedy were running down the corridor Grodd and Circe had gone down in pursuit of Eve Willows. Flash naturally was ahead of them, and he ran into the male Cheetah. The Scarlet Speedster smirked,

"Down, kitty. No one wants to hurt you."

Tigra arrived next and, taking one look at the feline villain, pounced, shouting,

"DIE!"  
The striped were-feline tackled the spotted were-feline, the two mauling, hissing, and clawing each other. The others arrived on the scene and Persiana winced,

"This is gonna hurt."

Speedy asked,

"Should we break them up?"  
The lioness shook her head,

"No way. Those two have had it in for each other since they first met. I'm not about to interfere with that." (1).

Two loud screams were heard. The others followed it, Tigra slashing her opponent quickly and joining the pursuit.

Circe and Grodd were further ahead. The simian scientist fiddled with the door lock,

"Give me one second, Circe. I shall have this door-."

The immortal sorceress, not wanting to wait, launched a fireball attack, reducing the door to liquid. She stormed in,

"LYTA, WHERE ARE YOU?"  
A faint shout was heard,

"Mommy?"

Circe had a tear in her eyes,

"Mommy's coming, sweetheart!"  
She flew fast, not realizing it was a trap.

A gun hammer was pulled back and the trigger pulled. The force of the blast leveled Circe in mid-flight and sent her crashing into a wall.

Grodd looked up and stared at a gray armored human. He had a machine gun turret on his right shoulder, rocket launcher on his left, and two nasty looking gauntlet guns. However, the simian telepath knew who it was,

"Yellow Jacket, I'm surprised at you. You definitely are an unexpected player in this game."

The armor just stood there, looking at the fugitive from Gorilla City blankly. Grodd used his telepathic powers, but something was wrong. He shook his head,

"There's no one in that armor, is there?"

The armor opened fire. Grodd did his best to dodge it, but he was not as quick as one of the bullets. It grazed his shoulder and he fell flat on the floor. The armor was about to fire when a Batarang was thrown, blowing up the machine gun. The armor turned and Batman and the others had arrived. Persiana groaned,

"Another War Machine? I thought the time the Joker stole it was bad enough!"

"That was a test."  
The War Machine armor had Yellow Jacket's voice. It continued,

"If you thought this was bad, you haven't seen anything yet."  
Two wrist-mounted Gatling guns appeared and opened fire at the heroes. Batman, Speedy, and the felines ducked for cover as the guns tore up the room. Tigra shouted,

"If you got a plan, I'd really like to hear it!"  
**Meanwhile… **

Bast and Loki were separated from the fight between the Justice League, Thor, and Doomsday. The two goddesses were trying to thrash each other to pieces, but Bast was more experienced in fighting than Loki and was quickly gaining the upper-hand. She snarled,

"First, you help kidnap these children, and then you attack my champion! You will be shown no mercy, trickstress!"  
Loki grinned,

"And I will show you the door!"  
She blasted her with a close range energy blast, sending the were-feline goddess sailing to the other end of the room. Bast rebounded to her feet, growling furiously. She still had her hands on her scimitar and unsheathed it. The goddess of trickery smiled evilly,

"You are quite the refreshing opponent, my fellow goddess. It is a shame I do not wish to fight fairly."

Using her powers of illusion, Loki created multiple mirror copies of herself and dispersed them around the small room. Bast looked around, trying to discern which was real and which was an illusion. About six copies were made, and they all spoke in unison,

"Now, which one of us is real? You won't figure it out."

Bast used her heightened senses to discern her opponent's whereabouts, but there were too many scents. The battle with Doomsday was clouding her judgment.

Something caught her eye, however. She noticed that, whenever lightning erupted, only one of the illusions cast a shadow. The others did not. Smirking evilly, Bast charged in at what she thought was the real Loki and sliced her deep with the scimitar. The illusions disappeared, but Loki hissed,

"Witch! I will make you pay for this!"

With that, Loki disappeared in a puff of smoke. Bast sensed genuine peril from Lance and the felines. She could not decide who she should help.

Diablos delivered a telepathic message to her,

_Go find the children and help Persiana. We can handle this. _

The goddess smirked,

"That's my Diablos."

She took the form of a cheetah and bolted as fast as she could down the hallway.

Diablos uneasily stood up, looking at a Doomsday now covered in yellow bone spikes. He shook his head,

"All right, Eve and Loki must have done something to Doomsday to get him so pumped up."

He noticed Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman get thrown into opposite walls, Wonder Girl nursing her arm, and Green Lantern trying to avoid the yellow attacks. Superman was down from the Kryptonite poisoning, and the Avengers powerhouses were not faring any better.

Thor held his hammer, his cape reduced to shreds and much of his clothing was perforated,

"This abomination is unlike anything I have seen."

Wonder Man blocked an attack,

"Wait till we tell you about Darkseid and Brainiac."

Doomsday grabbed Hawkgirl and smirked,

"Oh, look. A Thanksgiving turkey."  
Grappling the wings, the Kryptonian abomination ripped both wings off of the Thanagarian warrior. Hawkgirl shrieked in pain as she was thrown into a wall.

Diablos readied his sword,

"You monster! What have you done?!"

The god of thunder looked at Diablos' sword. He gasped,

"That sword…?"

The red-eyed hero smirked,

"Your friend trusted it to me."

Diablos then realized,

"Thor, I have an idea, but I need Diana's help for this."

The Amazon warrior stood up, shaking her head, trying to regain her focus. Lance called out,

"Diana!"

Diana turned,

"What is it?"

She caught the sword as Diablos hovered,

"On my signal, slice Doomsday with it!"  
He flew to the sky. Donna looked on,

"What he is doing, sister?"

Thor looked at the sky, and nodded,

"Aye, I understand now."

He looked at Diana,

"Warrior, stand ready. Whatever you do, do not let go of that sword, no matter how much pain there is."  
The Amazon princess had no idea what was going on, but somehow knew it was going to be big.

Diablos began hovering in the sky, waiting for the right moment. Then, Thor called forth,

"LIGHTNING, UNLEASH YOUR FURY!"  
A massive lightning bolt crashed in the sky, hitting Diablos. Channeling all the power he could muster, the demonic-inspired hero's eyes glowed red so brightly, it looked like two glowing gems. Focusing the lightning, he directed it at his sword, the one Diana was holding. The Amazon could feel the power surge and looked at Doomsday. Her hands were burning, almost like fire. Concentrating, she charged with the glowing sword, now a crimson red. Doomsday turned and got sliced in two. The two halves disintegrated instantly.

The fight with Doomsday was over. Everyone was huffing and puffing, trying to catch their breath. Diana dropped the sword and looked at her hands. They were burned, the skin almost ready to be peeled off.

Diablos floated down slowly, exhausted,

"Thank you. I didn't know if it would work."

Hawkgirl was in dire pain. John had managed to get to her,

"Shayera, are you all right?"

The mace-wielder shrieked,

"I JUST HAD MY WINGS RIPPED OUT! NO, I'M NOT ALL RIGHT!"  
Diablos winced,

"Let me."

Although he was visibly weak, he still had enough energy left for one more trick. Using his powers, he began sprouting new wings on Hawkgirl's back and, in moments, her wings were fully restored. Shayera looked at the red-eyed hero,

"Thank you."  
Diablos smiled weakly,

"No problem."

He then fainted from exhaustion.  
Donna shook her head,

"By the gods, he had so much power."

She looked at Thor,

"What did you two do?"

Thor explained,

"I saw the sword and remembered a time when an ally of mine could channel my lightning through it. In this case, the red-eyed one had a similar lightning attack. By calling down the lightning, he was able to add his properties to it, channeling the combined might of two gods' strength into the sword."

He looked at Diana,

"You must have the strength of the gods to have such endurance."

The raven-haired princess folded her arms,

"You had doubts?"

Wonder Girl asked,

"Wait, Diablos is a god?"  
Thor shook his head,

"I do not know what to make of him. He is definitely more powerful than he appears."

Superman, at this time, had recovered, but was still weak,

"We can discuss this later. Right now, we need to find the children. J'onn, take Diablos back to the Watchtower. He needs medical treatment. The rest of us; we're going to regroup with the others."

Diablos moaned weakly,

"No…I'm coming…I…promised…"

Miss Marvel shook her head,

"Forget it, kid. You can barely sit up. Personally, I don't blame you for trying, but let us handle it."

J'onn contacted the Watchtower,

"Beam up Diablos and myself."

The two vanished in a beam of light. Thor gasped,

"Amazing."

Hawkgirl stood up next,

"Let's go. I want to hit something."

She flew down the corridor. Green Lantern looked at Thor,

"Some advice; don't tick her off."

The Asgardian warrior nodded,

"I shall take your counsel well, friend."

He looked in a direction,

"The feline goddess is in peril. We must go."

Next Chapter:

Break the War Machine!

(1) They first met in Justice League: Persiana (Chapter 18 and 19)


	33. Chapter 33

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Bast, and Eve Willows._

Chapter 33: To the Rescue! 

Batman and Speedy looked over the cover. The automated War Machine armor kept firing, not caring who was in the way. The Dark Knight looked at the archer,

"I sent the felines ahead. We need to take this down, now!"

Speedy smirked,

"I got just the thing!"  
He revealed an arrow with glowing black arrowhead. Bruce swallowed,

"Tell me that isn't what I think it is."  
Speedy nodded,

"Checkmate's latest design. It's called a disintegrating arrow. Once it breaks, anything inorganic the dust touches disappears instantly. It's never been tested, though."

Batman pulled out another Batarang,

"I'll draw its fire."  
He ran out, the World's Greatest Detective launching another Batarang. As the War Machine armor turned, Speedy fired the arrow.  
What neither one realized that, as soon as the arrow was within inches of the target, the War Machine armor activated a force field. War Machine turned and was about to open fire on Speedy when a loud roar was heard.

Batman first thought it was one of the were-felines, and he was partially right. It was Bast, and she ran in at her top speed, scimitar in her hand. She had taken the form of a were-cheetah and, adopting its speed, viciously sliced the automatic armor to pieces.

Bast then turned back to her more human form, but still had cat-ears and a tail. She smiled,

"Well, that was refreshing."

Grodd applauded,

"I must admit, it was. However, there are still more important matters to attend to. I cannot sense Circe."  
Speedy and Batman looked at the rubble, but noticed it had erupted. Circe was definitely gone. Speedy shuddered,

"I'm gonna guess that this is bad."  
A little girl's voice could be heard,

"Daddy?"

It was Lian. Roy clenched his fist, running down the hallway after his daughter.

Grodd commented,

"He does care about her."

Batman looked at the simian scientist,

"Why are you here?"

Grodd narrowed his gaze,

"Eve took Giganta from me. I will have my revenge."

The ape moved forward, Batman keeping his guard up. He did not trust Grodd at all.

**Deeper inside… **

Lian was chained to a wall while Lyta was in a chamber hooked up to various machines. Eve was pressing buttons as Lian scowled,

"You're gonna be in SOOOO much trouble when Lyta's Mom finds you."  
Eve snarled,

"Shut up, brat! You obviously have no idea what's at stake here!"

Yellow Jacket was in attendance as well. After his War Machine was destroyed, he was waiting for the right moment.

The doors were kicked down and Persiana and Tigra looked into the room. Eve turned around, wearing a dangerous smile,

"Farrah, so good of you to come."

The lioness was shocked to see what was happening. She roared,

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"  
The scientist smirked smugly,

"Why, doing what I have to do. If you had only let me finish what I wanted, none of this would be necessary."  
She then realized,

"It was so easy for me to get Sebastian to do what I wanted. This lab, this project; everything went according to plan. I knew meeting little Lyta was going to be the key to the success I wanted."

Tigra snarled,

"Henry, you hear what she's saying? This was a set up! How can you go along with this? Kidnapping children?"  
Yellow Jacket glared at her,

"You don't get it, do you? This is all about you not caring how I feel! Guess what; I have feelings too! But, no, you always had to put that bitch you call a sister above me! Me, someone who loves you!"

Greer shook her head,

"Henry, if you truly love me, you'll stop Eve from hurting those children!"

The insect Avenger shouted,

"NO! NOW, YOU LISTEN TO ME!"

The former Avenger shrunk down to insect size.

The two were-felines tensed and tried to use their senses to find him.

Eve looked into the chamber Lyta was in,

"Don't worry. In moments, you will be at the height of greatness."

She was about to press the switch when she was thrown into the wall. Circe glared venomously at Eve,

"YOU BITCH! YOU DARE HARM MY CHILD!"

She conjured up a fireball, but Lyta poked her head up in the window,

"Mommy!"

Dispelling the fireball, Circe ran to Lyta and ripped the door out. She grabbed her daughter and hugged her tightly,

"Mommy really missed you, Lyta. I was so scared."

Tigra kicked the air, which was a direct hit to Yellow Jacket. He grew too fast and landed on the control console.

Circe snarled,

"YOU!"

She grabbed him by the throat and held him up,

"You are going to regret everything you have done here today!"

The immortal sorceress then channeled her power, casting a spell. In moments, the scientist started glowing. He was shrieking in pain,

"MAKE IT STOP!"

Circe snarled,

"Not until you pay for what you done! You took my child from me, even after I trusted you!"  
She intensified the spell, causing more pain.

Eve ducked behind the computer and pulled out a hand gun,

"Hey, Circe!"  
The sorceress turned and was about to feel the effects of the weapon when a red blur took the hand gun away. Eve looked and saw Flash smirking,

"Seriously, Doc. Did anyone ever tell you not to play with guns?"  
He threw it aside and folded his arms,

"Give up yet?"  
Lian shouted,

"She's really strong and fast!"  
The Scarlet Speedster shrugged,

"I'm sure."  
Eve did a front flip and slammed her foot hard into Wally's face, laying him out.

Persiana snarled,

"Tigra, get Lian out of here. Eve's mine!"  
She tumbled over and braced for a fight.

Eve turned and noticed her daughter bracing for battle. She looked around,

"Well, I see this was a wasted effort."

Farrah reared her claws, smiling animalistically,

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. You're here, and I get to shred you."  
Tigra ran to Lian and sliced the restraints off of her. The were-tiger asked,

"Are you all right?"  
Lian nodded nervously; she was obviously frightened. Greer smiled,

"It's going to be all right."

She looked at Circe, who was torturing Hank Pym.

Despite the pain, Henry reached into his costume and pulled a switch. A loud sound was heard,

"Auto-destruct in five minutes. Please evacuate facility."

Eve smirked,

"Well, in five minutes, we're all dead. And you're boyfriend isn't going to be here to help you."

Circe slammed Yellow Jacket into the wall,

"Someday, Pym. You will suffer."

She took her daughter and teleported away.

Grodd, Batman, and Speedy had arrived at that moment. They had heard the auto-destruct sequence as well. Speedy ran to Tigra,

"Is Lian all right?"

Lian squealed,

"Daddy!"  
Grodd suggested,

"If you wish to vacate the premises, now would be an excellent time."  
Batman picked up Flash and radioed in,

"Watchtower, beam up all the Justice League members, Bast, and Thor. And Lian."

Persiana said,

"No."

Everyone turned to her, surprised. Greer shook her head,

"Little sis, you can't stay.

Grodd smirked,

"I think I can convince her to leave."

He threw the canister he had in his backpack at Persiana. The white-haired were-woman bent over backwards, but the contents exploded, spilling all over her. Knocked on her back, Farrah was covered in a mysterious black gel. She wretched in disgust,

"EEEWW! What is this stuff?"

Eve shook her head,

"Next time, my daughter. Next time."  
She ran down another corridor, hoping to escape, but with Grodd pursuing her, Eve Willow's chances of survival were extremely minimal.

Batman ordered,

"Beam everyone up now!"  
They all disappeared in the bright light of the transporter.

Next Chapter:

The team rests and recuperates after this endeavor. Plus, the fate of Speedy.


	34. Chapter 34

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Bast, and Eve Willows._

Chapter 34: Resting and Recovery 

Lance was in the infirmary in the Watchtower. His body had been ravaged from the torture and the hard fight against a new and improved Doomsday. The red-eyed hero opened his eyes and then shielded them quickly. A voice said,

"It's all right, son. You'll be able to see in a minute."

Diablos recognized the voice,

"Doc?"  
When his eyes were brought into focus, he saw Dr. Mid-nite, seeing the hero's reflection in the doctor's dark glasses. Dr. Mid-nite smirked,

"Well, I'm glad to see you're awake at last. With what you've been through, if you didn't have a healing factor, you'd be dead."

Diablos rubbed his head,

"What happened? The last thing I remember is fighting Doomsday and…"  
He sat up suddenly,

"The children, where are they?"

Dr. Mid-nite explained,

"Circe got Lyta out, from what I'm told. Lian is here in the Watchtower, being examined by Dr. Blake."  
Lance asked,

"Who's Dr. Blake?"

"Thor's secret identity."

The two turned and saw Miss Marvel standing in the doorway. She smiled,

"You've seen better days."

Lance looked down at his chest,

"Believe it or not, this is nothing. I've been alive for four thousand years; I've seen my fair share of fights."  
He touched a scar on his arm,

"And scars."

The blonde Air Force Major was surprised,

"Wow, I didn't know."

A loud, animal-like roar was heard, followed by Tigra' voice,

"Farrah, you need to calm down!"

Farrah's voice could be heard,

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT'LL TAKE TO GET THIS OUT OF MY FUR?"  
Lance smirked,

"I see Farrah's all right."

Carol rolled her eyes,

"I swear, she is more vain than every other woman on the planet put together."  
Lance asked,

"More than you?"  
Carol nodded,

"Yes and…hey!"  
She stuck her tongue out and left.

Diablos and Dr. Mid-nite laughed. The red-eyed hero stopped and said,

"I have to be going."  
Dr. Mid-nite shook his head,

"We haven't finished the tests yet."

Diablos channeled his powers and turned the air around him into his costume. He said,

"I have three things to do; one is see how Farrah's doing; two, check on Lian; and three, get my sword back."

Dr. Mid-nite walked over to a table,

"Diana dropped this off."

He handed him the sword,

"She says it is quite fitting for a warrior."

Diablos put it in the sheathe and nodded,

"All right. I'll find Diana and thank her."  
He left the infirmary.

**Meanwhile… **

Farrah was covered in the black substance that Grodd through at her. It practically ruined her costume, and it was sticking to her fur. She was also swearing up a storm; basically complaining it would take forever to get out of her fur. Her friend and mentor Tigra was with her. Farrah moaned,

"Why couldn't it have been sand? That way I know what to expect!"  
Tigra shook her head in sympathy,

"Little sis."

The two were-felines turned and saw Lance, in full costume, standing in the door way. He smiled,

"Ladies."  
Farrah smiled delightfully,

"Sweetheart, come give me a kiss."

She was still covered in the black ooze, to which Diablos winced,

"Uh, maybe later."  
Persiana pouted,

"Meanie."  
She then remembered,

"Lance, before today, did you always have scars on your chest?"

Tigra swallowed,

"And that's my cue to leave."

She stepped out, while Lance answered,

"Yes. It does freak out girls when I show them."

Farrah shrugged,

"I wasn't freaked."  
He looked at her, to which she nervously remarked,

"What I mean is, they wouldn't be, if they understood."

The red-eyed hero smiled at that,

"I'm glad."

He looked around,

"I have to check on Lian."

Persiana asked,

"Does she remind you of Artemis back then?"

Lance shook his head,

"I'd rather not talk about it."

**Meanwhile… **

Speedy was waiting outside, while the Big Seven were discussing his fate. He was nervous as can be, especially as he was walking back in the Watchtower. It was a miracle Wonder Girl and Green Arrow had not ripped him to shreds, or Diana was being held back by all the other powerhouses, even though she threatened to do things to Roy that made even Artemis shudder in fear.

A blonde man with a cane was escorting Lian to Roy. Dr. Blake asked,

"Roy?"  
The archer looked up, and was surprised to see his daughter. Lian ran to him,

"Daddy!"  
She hugged him tightly. Roy took her into his arms and hugged her tightly,

"How's my special little girl?"  
Lian smiled,

"That man with red eyes tried to save me. That mean lady hurt him."

Roy asked,

"Did she hurt you?"

"No, Lyta and I were careful. Can she come over and play sometime? She does this really cool thing with her hands!"  
Roy smiled,

"We'll see."  
Dr. Blake looked on with concern,

"Any parent would do what you would have done, Roy. I just hope the others can see that."

"Roy?"

They all turned and saw Wonder Girl standing in the hallway. She looked on with surprise and asked,

"Could we talk?"

Dr. Blake limped away as Donna sat next to her boyfriend. Lian got between them,

"Don't hurt him. He saved me."

"Be careful, Donna."  
They all turned and saw Lance walking up to them. He smiled,

"Lian's pretty tough."

Lian ran to him,

"Red eyes!"

He picked her up and asked,

"Are you being good?"

Lian nodded,

"Uh-huh. The pretty kitty rescued me."

The red-eyed hero smiled,

"Let's see if we can find her, and let the grown-ups talk. How does that sound?"

Lian turned to her father, to which, he responded,

"It's Ok, honey. You can go."

Lian squealed for joy,

"Yeah!"

The two left, and Donna looked at Speedy,

"Roy, I am honestly confused at what to say to you. One the one hand, I should strangle you and make the last few moments of your life as miserable as possible..."  
She wiped a tear away before continuing,

"…on the other, I can't imagine how horrible it would be to see your daughter grow up without her parents. When you told me you slept with another woman, and she abandoned you and her daughter, I know, deep down, Lian is better with you. You stayed behind."

Roy took her hand,

"Donna, I-."

Donna looked at him,

"I'm leaving the League, and the Titans. It won't be permanent, but I need to reflect on a few things. Right now, I can't stay with you, Roy. I can't stay here."

Roy leaned back in the chair, stunned,

"Donna, you know, I never meant to hurt you. I mean that."

The Amazon teen nodded,

"I know, but I need to think right now."

As Donna started to leave, the door opened and Superman stepped out,

"We're ready."

Speedy swallowed nervously and followed the Man of Steel in to await his fate in the Justice League and the Teen Titans.

Next Chapter:  
A decision is rendered for Speedy, and two new recruits are added to the ranks. Find out which ones next time.


	35. Chapter 35

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Bast._

Chapter 35: Judgment 

Lance and Lian were walking near one of the windows of the Watchtower. The little girl was staring out at Earth,

"It's so blue!"  
Lance smiled,

"It is."

He then sensed Speedy being brought in. Lance said,

"Lian, I have to go meet with some friends of mine. I'm going to the infirmary first and leave you there with Dr. Mid-nite. All right?"

The young black-haired girl nodded,

"Ok."  
After delivering her to the infirmary, Diablos walked in. Speedy was standing in front of the Big Seven. Even though the tables were on the same level as them, the archer and swordsman both got the feeling the League were miles above them, looking down on them. Roy was visibly nervous, but Diablos; he was calm. If he was nervous, he did not show it.

Supergirl was in attendance as well; as leader of Titans East, she had to also render her decision on whether or not to keep both of them. She did not know about Donna's intention of leaving yet. She would find out later.

Superman addressed the two,

"Speedy, you have been a spy in the League for some time, and you jeopardized our security."

Diablos adjusted his glasses, not saying anything. He looked unusually calm.

John Stewart looked at Roy,

"Speedy, I-."

The red-headed archer shook his head,

"I compromised the team. I'm the security threat. I should be the one that has to face up to my actions."

Superman sat back down, contemplating on this recent turn of events. He said,

"You are aware; you may never be able to get back into the Justice League."

Roy nodded,

"Yeah, but I'd do this again if Lian was in trouble."  
Supergirl looked away, a small tear sliding down her cheek. Lance picked up on some of her emotions. She really did not want to kick Roy out, but had to.

The others convened for a moment, whispering amongst themselves. Diablos lowered his shades, trying to read the lips of what the members were saying.

Superman finally turned and said,

"I'm sorry, Roy. But you have to leave the League."

Supergirl nodded,

"And you're not coming back to Titans East."

Roy accepted the decision, even though, deep down, Supergirl really did not want to do it. Honestly, the League did not want to, especially when several of the members had family. Speedy started to walk away, but he said,

"I'll pick up Lian and leave. You won't hear from me again."

Diablos said,

"Lian is in the infirmary. She's all right; she just wanted to thank Tigra."  
Roy nodded,

"Thanks."

He walked away. Supergirl said,

"I should show him out."

She left with him.

Diablos watched Kara leave and turned to the Big Seven,

"I suppose this is over then."

Batman glared,

"No, it's not. Let me make myself clear; I don't like you. I don't trust you, and I don't like you keeping secrets. Am I making myself clear?"  
Diablos adjusted his glasses calmly. He nodded,

"Crystal."

He started to leave when he asked,

"Can I offer an opinion?"

Superman nodded,

"Go ahead."

"Well, it's a more of a request. I'd like Bast and Thor brought on board the team."

John asked,

"What do you think?"

Diana nodded,

"I like the idea."

Shayera agreed,

"Yeah, especially what Farrah said about Thor. I want to fight him."

Batman scowled,

"I don't like them."  
Flash shook his head,

"You don't like anything."

J'onn thought for a moment before answering,

"Thor did fight valiantly against Doomsday."

The Amazon smirked,

"And Bast seems to hold her own in a fight."

Superman was still blushing at what Bast said,

"Are you sure that's a wise idea?"

Diablos laughed,

"Don't be fooled. Even though Bast is a complete flirt, she's also a capable fighter and warrior. She can hold her own against any of you any day of the week. I was the only one that actually defeated her."

Flash was stunned,

"How'd you pull that off?"

Diablos shook his head,

"You're better off not knowing. It was thousands of years ago anyway."

He left, leaving the Big Seven to ponder on the situation.

**Meanwhile… **

Thor was catching up with Miss Marvel, Sentry, Tigra, and Persiana. The lioness had a spare costume she slipped into. She managed to get all the black ooze off her body and her dirty costume was in a bag. The two felines were perched on a railing and Tigra asked,

"So, how did you get here?"

Thor explained,

"When I attempted to recreate Asgard, my brother Loki was reincarnated as a woman. Not pleased with the current Midgard, Loki left to this world. I have been relentlessly pursuing her since."

Miss Marvel shook her head,

"Things have changed a lot, Thor, and-."

He glared,

"I know Yellow Jacket killed Crisis, and you were willing to betray the Captain, and for what?"

Everyone was uneasy, especially when it came to the subject of Captain America. A lot of them still hadn't gotten the comments Artemis made out of their minds. Tigra looked at Persiana, who was looking at everyone else. Normally, she would have sided with Thor immediately, but the were-lioness remembered all the times she had been playing a hero in this world, and how she learned to accept and start forgiving her fellow teammates for what they did.

She stood up,

"Thor, I know there have been a lot of things happening, but-."

"Kitty!"  
Everyone turned and saw Lian, standing in the door way. She ran up Tigra,

"You're the pretty kitty that saved me!"  
Tigra smiled and dropped to the floor on all fours,

"Yes, I am, sweetie."

The black haired girl asked,

"Can I pet you?"  
Greer nodded,

"Ok."

Lian began petting Tigra, and the were-feline purred in delight.

Persiana smirked,

"Well, you're a natural with kids."

Speedy came by,

"Lian, we have to go now."

Lian looked to her father,

"Daddy, do we have to?"  
Roy nodded,

"I'm afraid we do."  
Persiana nodded silently. She knew Roy was kicked out.

As Supergirl escorted Roy and Lian, Lance came by,

"Hey, everyone."

Farrah asked,

"Roy got the boot?"

Lance nodded. He then said,

"Actually, I came to talk to Thor and Bast. I suggested that they join up."

Thor was stunned,

"Do you wish for me to join your ranks?"

Lance shrugged,

"If the Big Seven say it's all right."

He narrowed his eyes,

"Where's Bast?"

Miss Marvel looked around,

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Simon since we got back."

Farrah shook her head,

"Wherever he is, he can handle himself. I'm going to take a long cat-nap. The last thing I need is to remind myself of what happened today. Good night."

She left.

Wonder Man staggered into the infirmary, his face covered in lipstick kisses, his costume torn. He had a silly smile as he said,

"What a woman."

He then collapsed.

Bast strutted up to him. Her clothes were tethers and she looked disheveled. She whispered to Simon,

"You are amazing. Meet me again later."

She licked the side of his face and shot Diablos a predatory look,

"He's almost as good as you, Lance. Almost."

She winked and strutted away.

Everyone looked at Diablos. The red-eyed hero looked back,

"It's a long story."

**In Farrah's room at the Mansion… **

Farrah plopped herself down on the bed, talking her clothes off. She had thrown her dirty costume into a corner and was too lazy to throw it away now. The lioness curled up into a ball and fell asleep, purring like a cat.

In the bag, there seemed to be something moving. The black ooze leaked out and, by some mysterious force, came up onto the bed post of the heroine's bed. Oblivious, Farrah was asleep, dreaming of her boyfriend and her champion. Little did she realize what was going to become of her…

Next Chapter:

Changes


	36. Chapter 36

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Bast._

Chapter 36: Change is Afoot

After much debate, Superman and the other founding members of the Justice League invited Thor and Bast into the main conference room. The goddess of felines was still relishing her recent romantic interlude with Wonder Man. She smiled and graced the blade of her scimitar,

"Wonderful."

Thor asked,

"And what was so wonderful, fair maiden?"

Bast purred,

"I just had the most irresistible man invite me into bed. He had so much in common with Diablos, I almost shouted his name."

Diana asked,

"Why are acting like this?"  
Bast looked at the Amazon warrior,

"Cuz I'm a cat, sweetie. I do what I want, when I want, how I want. It all depends on the mood."

Superman cleared his throat, changing the subject,

"Thor, we understand your secret identity is a doctor."

Thor nodded,

"Aye. Dr. Donald Blake."

John commented,

"It would be nice to have another doctor on board. We already have Mid-nite and Jannissary."

Flash shrugged,

"I thought she hadn't decided."

Hawkgirl rolled her eyes,

"Where were you when we sponsored her?"  
The Scarlet Speedster scratched his head,

"Maybe I was in the bathroom or fighting Grodd or something."

Shayera raised her hands in frustration,

"You were hitting on her!"  
Diana looked at Thor,

"Persiana told us a lot about you, Thor. From the way you look, you are a strong warrior."

Thor nodded,

"Aye. Along with Iron Man, Captain America, Wasp, and Yellow Jacket, we founded the Avengers."

Superman looked at everyone,

"Well?"

Batman glared silently. Although he was not comfortable having two very powerful members join up, he could not deny they had potential.

Since there were no objections, Superman declared,

"Congratulations, you two are in."

Suddenly, Bast touched her head. She nearly collapsed,

"Something is wrong."

Thor came to her,

"What is it?"  
Bast looked up,

"I don't know. Something is wrong, though. I sense a great evil."

The god of thunder helped her up,

"Let us get some air."

The scimitar user nodded and walked away. J'onn said,

"I did not sense anything."

Batman shook his head,

"I'm going to look into it."

**Meanwhile… **

Persiana was dressed in black costume, similar to her red one, except everything was black, including her image inducer. Her eyes were closed as she appeared to be sleepwalking on a ledge. She stood on the edge and her eyes opened. Persiana looked down and was frightened. She jumped back, but found herself jumping further than ever. Using her instincts, she twisted and somersaulted her body until it landed on the other side of the building ledge. She had landed on two feet instead of like a cat. Farrah looked up and was breathing heavily. She said out loud,

"Did I do that? That's got to be a hundred feet!"

She felt looser, more willowy than before. It was as if her body had become almost liquid in motion. Farrah was always limber, but this felt like her body was unbreakable. She looked down at her costume,

_It's black. But, I don't remember changing. Hell, I don't remember even designing this. _

As the lioness looked around, she noticed it was night. Her green eyes were glowing, kicking in some sort of natural night vision. Persiana looked down and saw she was at least a hundred feet on the roof. Her senses picked up a clothing store on the building across the street. Persiana shook her head,

_There's no way to make that… _

Something in her mind said she could, so Persiana got a running start. Soon, she found herself sailing across the street, landing on all fours like a cat on the building across the street.

Farrah was stunned she was able to move so fast, and so far. She stood up and calmed herself,

_Wow, I knew I was strong, but this new outfit. I feel…better…more capable than I ever imagined. I'm a goddess. _

Farrah reared her claws and smiled at what she saw,

_Oh, yeah. I can get used to this. _

She jumped down and looked at her reflection. She tilted her head slightly and purred at her appearance. Farrah noticed how tight the costume fit her, like a glove. She smiled,

_You must be the ooze Grodd threw at me. It's some sort of…symbiote. _

She shook her head,

_No, it can't be. It's just my imagination. Still…this new look suits me. I think I'll keep it. _

Just then, her heightened hearing picked up a silent alarm. Jumping into the shadows, she darted from each shade to her destination.

Three masked men were robbing a small bakery that had closed for the night. One of them said,

"Tommy, grab the cash from the register. Harry, the safe's in the back."  
This particular goon then went over to the back of the counter and pulled out a large cookie. He took a bite.

"Nibble, nibble, like a mouse…"  
Two of the three goons looked up and saw Persiana, in her black costume, striking a seductive pose against the door frame. She continued,

"Who's nibbling in my house?"

She did a flip and playfully placed her hands under her chin, staring at the first robber playfully. The were-lioness smiled,

"Now, what are you three young, scrapping looking men doing here?"

The first robber, the one munching on the cookie, was staring agape at the lioness. The second was feeling a bit awkward, wondering why Persiana had not pounced yet.

The lioness took a bite out of the cookie and swallowed it, grinning,

"I'm waiting for an answer."

The robber at the cash register silently moved away, picking up a baseball bat he had found. He slowly made his way behind her and took a swing.

Just then, Farrah's foot shot out and caught the bat. She remarked,

"Nice try, but I saw you coming."  
She flipped in the air and slammed her free foot into the goon's face.

She then turned back to the first goon, not knowing or caring that the one she just beat was unconscious. She traced a finger on his face, seductively remarking,

"Now, you know what you're doing is wrong. Trying to steal the money and sweets."  
She got closer,

"But, between you and me, I can be a bad girl too. Wanna see?"  
The first goon nodded eagerly. Persiana leapt over the counter and brushed up against him,

"Close your eyes, and I'll give you a big surprise."  
The goon did so, and could feel her hand traced down near his pants.

Suddenly, he shrieked and fell over in agony. He looked down and saw his pants bleeding profusely, his manhood shredded. The goon screamed,

"Crazy bitch! You're insane!"  
The third goon emerged from the door way,

"Guys, keep it down-."

He then noticed Persiana, staring menacingly at him. He swallowed nervously and bolted out the back. The lioness grinned,

"Oh, look. A fleeing mouse. This'll be fun."  
With that, she bolted after him.

The third robber did not get far when he was backed into a corner. He turned and was face to face with Persiana. The goon pleaded,

"Please, don't kill me."

The white-haired feline heroine placed a hand on the brick wall behind him, smiling,

"What makes you think I want to kill you? I mean, it's not fun, or entertaining. I'd much rather torment you."  
In the next few moments, there were blood-curdling screams from the alley.

Persiana sat on the roof, having finally finished a demonstration of this new costume. She smiled,

"You know, I think I'll keep you."

Persiana smiled to herself,

_I can't wait to see what I can do next with this thing. _

Next Chapter:

Introducing the New Persiana!


	37. Chapter 37

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Bast._

Chapter 37: A Whole New Attitude 

Donna had teleported up to the Watchtower to say good-bye to Farrah. The younger Amazon princess had decided to leave the Titans and the Justice League for a short time, to reflect on the events that have happened with her now ex-boyfriend Roy Harper, the teen known as Speedy. She was hoping to find the lioness and bid her farewell.

**In another part of the Watchtower… **

Persiana was fuming down the hall. She was muttering some choice phrases when she bumped into Artemis. The two stared each other down and the lioness growled,

"Watch it, Red."  
The Amazon warrior scowled,

"Excuse me, animal? You bumped into me."  
Farrah laughed sarcastically,

"Aw, poor baby. It must be your time of the month."  
At this, the red-headed Wonder Woman gritted her teeth,

"You are the-."

Before she could finish, Persiana grabbed her by the throat and picked her up with one hand. She glared at her dangerously,

"I'm. In. A. Bad. Mood. Understand?"  
At that precise moment, Tigra and Diablos were rounding the corner. The red-eyed hero saw what was going on and came up to them,

"What's going on?"  
Persiana threw Artemis to the ground,

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

She eyed Diablos in a hungry fashion,

"Hey, handsome."

She pressed herself up to her boyfriend, sharing a very passionate kiss. Lance tried to return the kiss, but something was very off.

He then felt a sharp pain in his backside and pushed Farrah off. Diablos looked at an extremely lustful Persiana, who purred in delight,

"Finally, I got to cop a feel."

She growled in delight,

"Meet me tonight in my room, and you can return the favor."

Persiana walked away, almost forgetting her attitude toward Artemis.

Tigra looked at the others,

"Are you all right?"

Artemis rubbed her neck,

"I will be better when I skin her."

Diablos glared,

"Don't even think about it."

Greer looked down the hall,

"That's unusual for her."

Lance asked,

"Greer?"

"She's never been so hostile before. It was like…she was another person."  
The tigress shied away,

"I think her animal side is trying to dominate her. It's been a problem for me too, but I've been able to control it. I even taught Farrah how to control hers, but, just now; I didn't recognize her."

Diablos narrowed his eyes. The way she kissed was off too; there was no affection, no love. Just animal lust. What was going on?  
Wonder Girl had heard the ruckus and came over to see what was going on,

"What has happened?"

Lance shook his head,

"I'm not sure. Farrah was acting really weird. She seems to be in a bad mood."

Donna was surprised; her feline friend was usually cheerful and caring. The younger Amazon said,

"I will go talk to her. Perhaps I can calm her down."

She left to find her friend.

Wonder Girl had eventually found Persiana in the training simulator. Farrah had turned the simulator up to a more dangerous level than she was normally accustomed to in her agility courses. Still, as Donna watched, it seemed clear that Farrah was even more highly skilled than before, moving with even sweeter grace and timing. Wonder Girl watched Persiana dodge attacks in ways that, under normal circumstances, Farrah would get hit by. Somehow, Farrah was able to bend her body well beyond what it was normally accustomed to, even for the lioness.

The simulation then shut off suddenly. Persiana spun around, glaring at Wonder Girl,

"What was that for? I was beating my own record!"  
Donna apologized,

"I am sorry, sister, but it was getting too dangerous to continue. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Farrah got up and hissed,

"You never interrupt me when I'm working out! Got it?"  
The younger Amazon was surprised. Her friend's attitude definitely had changed. Diana and Lance were not exaggerating.

Farrah tilted her head slightly,

"Why are you here, anyway?"

Donna explained,

"Well, as you know, I am returning to Themysciria. I need to think about what has happened and what to do next."

The lioness scoffed,

"So, you're running away. I always did figure cowardice was an Amazon virtue."

Wonder Girl was stunned at what her friend had just said. Donna asked,

"Sister, are you all right? Lance and Tigra both said you're attitude is a bit more…hostile."

Farrah chuckled,

"Hostile, huh?"

She pounced on her friend, tripping her. Donna fell down hard and looked up, stunned at what her friend was doing.

Persiana picked Donna up with one hand and pressed her against the wall,

"Tell me, princess. Hostile enough for ya?"

She threw her effortlessly across the room. Wonder Girl had her back slammed against the wall, a reverberating sound echoing throughout the room. The Amazon stood up and took a defensive stance,

"Sister, I do not know what has come over you, but you do not wish to fight me."  
She charged in, hoping to restrain her friend. However, Persiana quickly grabbed one of Donna's wrists and kicked her friend in the shoulder and knee with almost otherworldly speed and precision. Wonder Girl fell to her knees and looked up.

Persiana was ready to throw another punch when something caught her arm. She turned and smiled,

"Well, I knew someone would show up."

It was Batman and J'onn. The Dark Knight looked at Donna,

"Get out of here."

J'onn went to escort Donna out, while Batman glared dangerously at Persiana,

"She's just a kid."  
Donna indicated she wanted to stay. The lioness glared darkly,

"You brought some others."

Batman narrowed his eyes,

"Since you got that black costume, you've had an entirely different attitude. I want you to drop it. Now."

The door opened, and in stepped Diana, Tigra, Fire, Flash, and Diablos. Persiana turned to them,

"I suppose you want me to apologize, too."

Her mood darkened,

"Fat chance, pal."

Tigra approached,

"Farrah, we're just worried that you might hurt someone."

Persiana laughed sarcastically,

"Oh, I'm sure that's what it is. Like the time you hurt me in Civil War?"  
At this, Greer swallowed nervously, and looked away. The lioness then started ranting,

"I knew it! You can never look me in the eye and tell me you didn't mean it!"  
Diana started,

"Sister, please-."  
Farrah roared,

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, PRINCESS!"  
Everyone was surprised by the outburst. Farrah then turned her attention back to her friend,

"Look at me, bitch!"  
Tigra would not and Farrah forced her to look at her. There were tears in her eyes and the were-tigress was on the verge of sobbing. Farrah snarled evilly,

"You will NEVER experience what I've been through."

Diablos had seen enough,

"Farrah, you need to listen to-."  
Farrah looked at her boyfriend,

"What did you say?"  
She tossed her friend like a rag doll and glared menacingly at him,

"Are you telling me what to do?"

Lance shook his head,

"Farrah, we're your friends. We just want to know what's going on, if you have a problem. We'll be there for you."

Farrah shook her head, her face darkening even further,

"**We don't need you." **  
Her voice changed, and Lance sensed something. He said,

"This isn't Farrah!"  
Persiana shot him a death glare before smiling,

"Took you long enough."  
She darted so suddenly that Diablos was caught off guard. The kick was so hard the red-eyed hero went sailing out of the training room. Diana approached,

"All right, that's-."  
She grabbed her friend's shoulder, but Persiana's costume had consumed her. She turned and hissed, large fangs appearing in her mouth, her eyes turning big and cat-like. Her tongue hung out like it was unnatural and her breath was acidic. The older Amazon warrior was stunned,

"By Hera, what-?"

Too late, as an almost impossible kick was delivered, striking Diana square in the jaw. She stumbled back, stunned.

Farrah was now completely encased in black, her new costume had taken over. The only thing that was a different color was her eyes. Where her eyes were supposed to be were two large, white quarter circles.

Tigra looked up, horrified,

"Oh, my God."  
Batman got into a defensive stance,

"You know what's happened."  
Tigra nodded,

"Persiana's been infected with a symbiote!"

Next Chapter:

And the hits keep coming!


	38. Chapter 38

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 38: Fighting for Control 

Persiana, possessed by a symbiote-like creature, was attacking her friends. Tigra stood up and told Batman,

"A symbiote enhances all the natural abilities of anyone it comes into contact with. In exchange, it completely takes them over, trying to permanently bond with them."

The Dark Knight threw a Batarang, to which Persiana caught it and crushed it with her foot, then spun around and swept under Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman and Flash. Batman asked,

"How do we remove it?"  
Tigra explained,

"Fire or loud sounds."  
That was Bea's cue as she threw a fireball at Persiana. It hit, and the bloodcurdling scream from the symbiote monster made the Brazilian model cover her mouth in horror. Diablos went in and put the fire out,

"Farrah, can you hear me?"

Farrah's face was revealed as she whimpered,

"Help…"

She came in close. Diablos hugged her, and she whispered,

"**Gotcha." **

Bending over backwards tightly, she delivered a suplex and Lance landed on his head. Diablos shook it off and watched as Persiana was standing back up, almost fluid in her motions. The red-eyed hero shook his head,

"Farrah, I know you're in there-."  
Before continuing, Persiana unleashed a strand of black ooze from her body and slammed it in the hero's face. Struggling to get it off, Diablos reached frantically for his sword. He sliced it off and the piece of the symbiote was dropped to the floor. Not in the least affected, Persiana jumped up to the ceiling and began crawling like a spider. She spied an air vent and, launching another strand of black ooze, swung on it like a rope. The possessed Farrah slammed into the air vent grate and squeezed her body through it.

Batman radioed in,

"Shut down the Watchtower Transporter and Javelins. We have a loose creature who has taken over Persiana's body. Loud sounds and fire affect it, but we need to take it alive."  
Diana helped Tigra up,

"Are you all right?"

The striped feline nodded,

"Yeah, I will be. I should've seen this coming."

Flash shook his head,

"So, what do we do now?"  
Tigra looked at the air vent,

"I can follow her. I'm pretty flexible and should be able to track her that way."

Batman nodded,

"Do it."

Everyone watched Tigra scale the wall, embedding her claws into the wall and following the scent through the vents.

Diablos touched his head,

"I can sense where she's going. I'm going after her."  
With that, he ran out of the room. Donna followed, hoping she could do something to help Farrah.

**Meanwhile… **

The entire station was put on alert. Artemis had met up with Miss Marvel and Wonder Man,

"What is happening?"

Simon answered,

"We're on alert. Persiana's been infected with a symbiote."

Carol said in disbelief,

"I doubt that."  
Black ooze grappled the air vent and pushed it out. The symbiote Persiana slid out and snarled, her long tongue licking all over her face. The blonde Air Force Major was stunned,

"OK, I didn't see this coming."  
Persiana vaulted in the air and did a split kick, knocking the ionic hero and the half-Kree soldier back. The red-headed Wonder Woman moved in,

"Monster, die!"  
She landed a punch on Persiana's jaw, disfiguring her face.

However, a second mouth formed on the back of the were-feline. It snickered,

"**Nice. We almost felt that."  
**The costume then shot out more black strands, covering the face and arms of Artemis. As the Amazon tried to peel it off, Persiana contorted and twisted her body in a fashion that seemed impossible. When finally free, the two mouths said in unison,

"**You can't beat us." **

Miss Marvel cringed,

"Ew, even Venom was never this gross."  
The second mouth retreated into the costume and she glared,

"**Looks like Barbie knows what a sense of humor is. We were expecting less!"  
**She lashed out again, launching more tendrils. They encased Miss Marvel and the blonde Major tried to break free.

Wonder Man charged in,

"Farrah, we're trying not to hurt you!"  
He grabbed her from behind, but the symbiote turned her head one-hundred eighty degrees, smiling,

"**A strong man, we like that." **

Twisting her hips in the same fashion, she managed to kick Simon away. She returned her body into a normal position, but her instincts kicked in. Clinging to the ceiling she looked and saw an arrow go by.

Green Arrow and Black Canary saw what happened. The blonde martial artist unleashed a canary cry. Dropping to the floor, the symbiotic Persiana screeched in agony, covering her ears.

Tigra emerged from the air vent and Diablos came from another corridor, just in time to see the symbiote start to peel off Persiana's body. The symbiote tried to get away from the noise, but Diablos telekinetically slammed it into a wall. Persiana's body lay lifeless. The red-eyed hero looked,

"Farrah, are you all right?"

That was enough to break his concentration. Black Canary had tired out and was trying to catch her breath as the symbiote lunged for Diablos. Lance was taken down and the symbiote tried to possess him. Tigra covered her mouth in horror,

"Oh, God no!"

Suddenly, a beam of emerald energy encased the symbiote in a force field. John Stewart, the Green Lantern, said,

"Are you OK, kid?"  
Diablos nodded,

"I'm all right."

He then noticed Farrah was not moving. He crawled to her and put his coat over her body. The symbiote had left Farrah completely nude. Wrapping the coat around her, Lance picked her up and brought her to the infirmary, hoping it was not too late.

**Several days later… **

Persiana slowly opened her eyes, moaning. She had to narrow them because the light seemed strong to her. She shielded her eyes until they could adjust. The lioness had a pulsing headache. She then remembered something. Farrah sat up suddenly in a panic,

"Where am I? How did I get here?"  
She then realized she was naked and quickly covered her body with the sheets. She curled up and Farrah looked around,

"What happened to me?"

"You know, that is the second time I've seen you naked."  
Farrah looked up and saw Diablos, leaning against the door frame. Persiana sat up,

"Lance, what happened? The last thing I remember was I was asleep at the mansion and…"

She covered her mouth in horror,

"Oh God. Then, it wasn't a dream. I really did attack you!"  
The were-lioness began sobbing. Lance took her hand,

"Sweetheart, I know you never meant to hurt anyone. That thing took over. It made you do things you would never normally do."

He rubbed the back of his head,

"Well, maybe you would still attack Miss Marvel or Artemis, but I know you wouldn't hurt Wonder Girl intentionally."

Farrah nodded, remembering,

"She was going to say good-bye. I didn't want her to leave, but I…"

She laid back down,

"I couldn't control myself. I saw what I was doing, but I didn't want to give up all that power."

She looked at him,

"Do you have any idea what it's like to have that level of power? The feeling you're invincible, that, even thought you can't fly, you do."

Small tears trickled down her cheek. Lance wiped them away,

"Sweetie, you weren't yourself. You are still a very strong woman."

Farrah's lip still trembled, and she tried to smile,

"I got to cop a feel though."

Lance smiled back,

"And I got to see you naked, so I guess we're both even."

Farrah shook her head,

"No, we're not. Not until I really thank you for saving me."

She took her hand and gently caressed his face,

"You're every bit like him."

Lance cleared his throat, changing the subject,

"I should let you rest. You've been through a lot in the last few days."

Farrah tightened into a ball and fell asleep as Lance was leaving. She asked,

"Lance?"  
The red-eyed hero turned,

"Yes?"  
Farrah purred,

"I love you."  
Diablos looked back,

"I love you, too, Farrah."  
He closed the door and left.

At the end of the hall, Artemis was tapping her foot impatiently,

"Where is she? She tried to kill us."  
Diablos narrowed his eyes,

"Asleep. If you had any honor, you'd respect her privacy."

The red-headed Wonder Woman glared daggers at Diablos,

"I am dangerously close to running a blade through your body, demon. That woman is a danger to us all."

The red-eyed immortal smirked,

"This coming from a stuck-up spoiled brat like you? That's a compliment."

Artemis was fuming,

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT-!"  
Lance's eyes glowed as he said threateningly,

"Don't raise your voice. People are sleeping."  
Artemis was irate. Her nostrils flared as she clenched her fist tightly. She wanted to hit him, and hard.

Lance shook his head,

"Farrah is not only my girlfriend, she is also best friends with Diana and Donna, your fellow Amazons. Do you want to explain why you wouldn't let her rest, or should I? I can be very convincing."  
Artemis narrowed her eyes and she whispered harshly,

"I know what you did to my fellow warriors, and I won't rest until I personally see to it you suffer as they did!"  
She stormed away, pushing Bast out of her way. The Egyptian goddess shook her head,

"What's her problem?"

Lance shrugged,

"Arrogance? Ignorance? A little of both?"

Bast laughed,

"You always could tick her off, couldn't you?"

She turned serious,

"How is Farrah doing?"  
Lance looked down the hall,

"Exhausted. She's had it rough."

Bast then snapped her fingers,

"Hey, I got an idea. Take her to Miami."

Lance asked,

"Why?"

"The sun does a lot of good for felines, and, considering she was possessed by great evil, a little warmth and light might be a good thing."

Diablos nodded,

"It might be a good idea."

Next Chapter:

As changes are made, the roster changes for both the Watchtower and Titans East. Find out who's leaving and coming on board, and find out what plots are hatching in the next exciting chapter.


	39. Chapter 39

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Eve Willows, Bast, and Leon/Crisis._

Chapter 39: Plotting Ahead Part 1 

Donna was packing up a small suitcase at the Titans East Mansion. She looked at her clothes and was holding back tears. She did not really want to leave, but she had to; the place reminded her too much of the time she spent with Roy. As the young Amazon worked, Supergirl knocked on the door frame,

"Knock, knock."

Wonder Girl turned and saw her friend. She smiled,

"Hello, Kara."  
Kara shook her head,

"Hey, how ya holdin' up?"

Supergirl had heard about what had happened, and was checking in on her teammate. Donna swallowed nervously and touched her side,

"I am…all right. I just could not believe what I saw tried to take over Farrah."

Supergirl nodded,

"I heard it was freak-city. Farrah is going with Lance to Miami to recuperate. And, with Roy gone and you leaving, we're gonna be seriously underpowered."

Donna placed her hand on her alien friend's shoulder,

"I am confident you will do well."

The two hugged each other, almost sister like.

Superboy came up,

"Uh, Kara? There's something downstairs you should see."

Kara let go of the hug and said,

"You finish packing, and I'll go see what's going on."

Donna nodded.

Kara walked downstairs with Connor, and noticed a young teen with blonde hair, cut like a crew cut. He wore a green mask that was tied in the back of his head, and he was wearing an outfit similar to Green Arrow's. He was carrying a bow and a set of arrows. He looked up,

"Are you Supergirl?"  
Supergirl nodded,

"Yeah."  
The green-costumed man extended his hand,

"My name is Connor Hawke, and I was wondering if you can get a message to Oliver Queen for me."  
Kara shook his hand,

"I guess. What is it?"

Connor shook his head,

"I'd rather tell him in person, but I need to speak to him."

The Kryptonian heroine looked and noticed Miss Martian standing, observing him. She shook her head,

"I read his mind. He is no threat."

Kara grinned sheepishly,

"Sorry about that, Connor. We just had a bad falling out with Speedy and we're not taking any chances."  
The archer nodded,

"I hear ya."

Kara asked,

"Why do you want to speak to Ollie, anyway?"  
Connor swallowed nervously,

"He's my father."  
**Meanwhile, at the Watchtower… **

Farrah was getting her old costume back on when Lance knocked on the door,

"Farrah?"  
The lioness turned and smiled,

"Hey, handsome."

The red-eyed hero smiled back,

"I see you've recovered nicely."

He put his arms around her. Farrah purred at the warmth and said,

"Thank you."  
Lance shook his head,

"Don't thank me yet. I actually came to talk to you about something."

The heroine listened intently. Diablos asked,

"How do you feel about going to Miami?"  
Before Farrah could respond, a loud roar was heard,

"THAT'S IT! I AM DONE WITH YOU!"  
That voice belonged to a very irate Artemis. She stormed past the infirmary, to the transporter. Diana was calling out to her,

"Sister, please-."  
Artemis turning to her fellow Amazon, sneering,

"You have no right to keep that demon here! Why do you not listen to what I have to say? Forget you all! I don't need you! I can handle being a champion of the Amazons alone!"  
She threw her ID down, spat on the ground, and teleported to Earth.

Farrah poked her head out,

"I take it Artemis doesn't want to have anything to do with us anymore, right?"

Diana nodded,

"Yes. She can be so infuriating at times."

Booster Gold and Guy Gardner walked by, overhearing the commotion. Booster asked,

"Did Artemis leave the League for good?"

Diana nodded and the hero from the future looked at Guy,

"You owe me big!"  
The Green Lantern pulled out some money,

"You completely suck, Michael."

Diana asked,

"Did you two have a bet going on?"  
Guy looked around nervously,

"Bet? Who said anything about a bet?"

Lance shook his head,

"I don't want to know."

**Elsewhere, at Cadmus Labs… **

Gorilla Grodd stood on top of the wreckage, escaping the rubble. He looked down an could not pick up any telepathic sense of Eve Willows, Henry Pym, or Cheetah. The simian scientist narrowed his eyes. He was robbed of his revenge, but then he remembered the one other person that Eve had a connection with he could take his revenge on. He snarled,

"Eve, I will make you pay for taking Giganta from me."

**Out in the ocean… **

Eve Willows and the male Cheetah were drifting in the water. Despite the serenity of the water, they were moving quite swiftly.

Having finally landed on a beach, Eve woke up. The genetic researcher looked around and saw her lover, who had a piece of pipe in his chest. Eve wiped a tear away, shaking her head,

"Poor Sebastian…"

She removed the pipe and hefted his body onto her shoulder,

"I promise you, I will avenge you."

The sun was almost rising, and Eve glared,

"I will make the League pay, especially Persiana. This is not over."  
**Elsewhere… **

Circe was cradling her daughter back at her apartment. Lyta shook her head,

"Mommy, I'm all right. That nice man Lance tried to save me."

The sorceress hugged her daughter,

"I am never, ever letting you out of my sight again. I should kill that Sebastian for doing something like this!"  
The purple haired girl looked up,

"Mommy, I met this girl Lian. She was really nice. Can she come over and play?"

Circe thought it over,

"Maybe, but right now, I want you to do something for Mommy."

Lyta nodded cheerfully,

"OK."  
Circe said,

"I want you to be trained to fight. You're going to learn how to defend yourself, so this won't happen again."

The immortal sorceress was determined of this, but she also knew that it would mean one of two things; she would have to either ask Ares, Lyta's father, for help, or ask her hated enemies, the Amazons, for help. Circe shook her head, the ultimate dilemma for a villainess. However, there was one other option…

Next Chapter:  
More Plotting Ahead.


	40. Chapter 40

**Crimes of Passion**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Ayame Nakamura/Diamond. _

Chapter 40: Plotting Ahead Part 2 

Green Arrow and Black Canary were called down to the Titans East Mansion. The Emerald Archer asked,

"What do you think this is about?"

The blonde martial artist shrugged,

"I don't know, but, whatever it is, I hope it's something that brings everybody together. With Speedy leaving the way he did, it's going to be a lot of pressure to trust each other again."

Ollie nodded and knocked on the door. It opened and the two noticed Connor Hawke conversing with Batgirl, who was going to come aboard Titans East, at the request of Kara. Barbara looked at the two,

"Ollie, Dinah, you have to hear this."

Black Canary looked at the young teen archer,

"Who might you be?"  
Connor smiled,

"My name is Connor, ma'am."

Canary grinned,

"You were taught manners. I like you already."

Ollie looked at Barbara,

"Is Supergirl around?"  
The Gotham heroine shook her head,

"No, she's upstairs meeting with another potential member. But, you gotta hear this."

Connor looked at Ollie,

"I think you're my dad."

At this, Canary glared murderously at her boyfriend, ready to unleash a canary cry. Green Arrow fell unconscious before she could do so. Connor swallowed nervously,

"I think I had better explain myself."

**Meanwhile… **

Thor was gazing out the window, glaring down at Earth. He muttered,

"Loki, I will find you, and destroy you for what you have done."

"Plotting revenge?"

The god of Thunder turned and saw Bast, her arms folded. She grinned,

"You're not the only one who wants a piece of the bitch. I am going to make her pay for attacking my pride."

Thor asked,

"Where is Simon?"  
The goddess of felines looked at him innocently,

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

**In an undisclosed location… **

Simon, shackled to the bed, whimpered,

"Somebody let me out. Please."

**Elsewhere… **

Lex Luthor was at his desk, going over his latest plot. The door opened and in stepped a battered Yellow Jacket. The insect scientist growled,

"You couldn't have rescued me sooner?"  
Lex smiled,

"Henry, we needed to spy on them. I needed to know what she was up to, and now, we don't have to worry about her. She's dead."

Henry glared,

"Persiana is still alive. I'm not gonna rest until she's dead."

He stormed out, not caring whether he was tracking dirt all over the carpet. Lex pressed an intercom button,

"Mercy, could you send the janitor into my office?"  
Yellow Jacket retreated to his lab in the basement of LexCorp. When he entered, Ultron was going over some data. He turned,

"Is creator functioning properly?"

Hank nodded,

"Yeah, I am."

He was frustrated at being treated like garbage. He looked at Ultron,

"I'm gonna lie down."

The former Avenger walked to his bed.

As he walked in, a throaty purr greeted him,

"Hello, Henry."

Henry instantly knew who that belonged to,

"Tigra?"

His eyes were not deceiving him; Tigra was in the room, completely naked, laying down on the bed. She grinned,

"It took you long enough."

Hank was surprised,

"What? How?"  
Ultron entered at that moment,

"Does creator not like my creation?"

The insect scientist spun around,

"Creation?"

Ultron nodded,

"Yes, by utilizing Tigra's DNA strand, I have created a robot duplicate of your lover. Do you not like?"

Hank would have responded had it not been for the cybernetic Tigra leaping across the room and entangling him with her limbs. She growled,

"Take me, Henry. You want it."

She licked the side of her face. Ultron closed the door,

"Please, creator. Relax with my creation. You have earned it."

Leaving the two of them alone, the cybernetic Tigra growled,

"Let's relax, Hank. I know you do."

Hank closed his eyes, whispering back,

"Greer."  
**Meanwhile… **

Artemis was in the middle of a brawl in the warehouse district of New York City. There, she was presently beating the living daylights out of several men who were importing women to work in sex slave rings all over the world. The red-headed warrior slammed two gunmen against a container, while several others tried to open fire. Throwing the two aside, she was able to deflect each shot from the gun fire. Furious that she was fired upon, she moved in to attack. One of them foolishly tried to fight her, but had his arm snapped in several places. It looked like a limp piece of spaghetti, which caused agony for the owner of the arm. Artemis looked at the two other gunmen, who were reloading.

Suddenly, a white blur sliced not only the gunmen, but also the hands, elbows, shoulders, and necks, reducing them to sushi. Artemis looked around, while the women were huddling in a corner. They all screamed when they saw the body parts flying everywhere.

When it was over, a female teen in a white ninja outfit was serenely balancing on a railing. She looked down,

"That was no challenge, but they have deserved their fate."

The red-headed Wonder Woman looked up, curious,

"Who are you?"

The white ninja acrobatically flipped down and landed. As she stood poised, she removed her mask and revealed her face,

"My name is Ayame Nakamura, but you may call me Diamond."

Ayame had dark green eyes and venomous smile that appeared charming and innocent. Artemis could tell right away this Ayame had warrior's eyes.

Diamond looked around at the lives that were deceased,

"I admit, that was refreshing, but it is only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much that must be done."

One of the women, who appeared Asian, shouted something. The translation is,

You monsters! You do not deserve to live after what you have done!  
Ayame hissed back,

Then, you are a weak coward that should die like the rest of them!

Artemis asked,

"What did she say?"  
Ayame answered,

"She says we should kill her for making her weak."

The ninja raised her hand,

"I agree."

A stream of red energy came forth, and incinerated the women.

The Amazon was stunned,

"How did you do that?"

Ayame smiled,

"I am like you; gifted by the gods. I merely wish to help you in your quest."

She seductively ran her fingers down her chest,

"You may be well rewarded for your efforts. I know I will be."

Artemis looked at her and smiled,

"Well, what sort of reward did you have in mind?"  
**In Miami… **

Arriving in Miami, Lance, in civvies, and Farrah, disguised in her image inducer, were staying in one of the most luxurious hotels in the city. In the penthouse suite, the red-eyed hero had put the bags to the side and began unpacking his things. The lioness looked out at the view of the ocean,

"It's beautiful."

She turned to him,

"You really can spoil a girl, can't you?"  
Lance smiled,

"I believe in the best for my angel."

He came up to her and held her tightly. Persiana shook her head,

"Lance, wait."  
Lance pulled away, and the lioness went to the bathroom. The red-eyed hero thought he may have done something to upset her.

A few moments later, Persiana came out, showing her true form. She had found one of the bathrobes and asked,

"Lance?"

Lance turned and the were-feline dropped the robe, revealing a long, lean, but muscular, frame. She came close to her boyfriend,

"Lance, I need you, now more than ever. My powers make me want affection and desire."

She whispered seductively,

"You do desire me, right?"  
Diablos picked her up and Farrah instinctively wrapped her legs around him. He answered,

"Yes."

The were-feline heroine growled in pleasure,

"Then, do what you want to me. I promise; you won't regret it."

She began kissing him passionately. Lance made his way to the bed, and Farrah applied enough force to drop him on the bed, her on top. The lips were still locked and Farrah instantly felt the warmth of her boyfriend. She reached down and pulled the covers over them…

**Aboard the Watchtower… **

The alien symbiote was in the lab, imprisoned. Through the darkness that it was, one could almost swear a face was forming. A face of a certain heroine…

End of Crimes of Passion. Stay tuned for more on these and other exciting Stories.


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